With sessions in Congress set to resume next week, House Appropriations Chair Rep. Karlo “Ang Probinsyano” Nograles said that ensuring funding for government programs that benefit the country’s “probinsyanos” would be his top priority when the House begins budget deliberations at month’s end.
In a series of radio interviews, Nograles said that he would ensure appropriate funding for recently-passed legislation that provide for free college education, free irrigation, and a national feeding program for children.
“Sisiguraduhin po natin na mapondohan ang free college education, ang free irrigation, at marami pang iba. Pero ito, malapit sa puso ko bilang isang ama, bilang isang magulang––dapat ay mapondohan ang bagong batas na national feeding program,” stressed the legislator from Davao.
(We will ensure that there will be funds for free college education, for free irrigation, and many other programs like the new national feeding program. This is an issue close to my heart as a father and parent.)
We will ensure that there will be funds for free college education, for free irrigation, and many other programs like the new national feeding program.
“Napakalaki ng porsyento ng mga bata, lalo na sa mga probinsya, ang dumadanas ng ‘stunting’ o pagka-bansot, sa amin ang tawag ay putot, kulang sa laki, kulang sa tangkad, dahil sa malnutrition o undernutrition. Sa katunayan, sabi ng PSA o Philippine Statistics Authority, sa NCR lang medyo mababa ang rate ng stunting, habang sa mga probinsya, matataas ang stunting rate. Sa ibang regions pumapalo sa 30%-39%, at sa ibang lugar umaabot ng 39% pataas,” lamented the solon.
(A big percentage of Filipino children, especially those in the provinces, suffer from stunting because of malnutrition or undernutrition. According to the PSA or Philippine Statistics Authority, it is only in NCR that the stunting rate is low, while in the provinces, the stunting rate is high. In some regions it can reach 30-39%, while in other areas the rate can be higher than 39%.)
A big percentage of Filipino children, especially those in the provinces, suffer from stunting because of malnutrition or undernutrition.
“Malinaw na dapat mapondohan ang mga components ng programa na ito: ang milk feeding program para sa mga bata sa daycare at school-based feeding program para sa mga estudyante.”
(It’s clear that there must be funding for the different components of the National Feeding Program: the milk feeding program for those in daycare and the school-based feeding program for students.)
President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11037 or the “Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act” last month. The lead agencies involved in the implementation of the law are the Department of Education (DepED) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The law establishes a supplemental feeding program for children attending day care centers aged three to five. Children under this program will receive one fortified meal for a period of not less than 120 days in a year.
A school-based feeding program, on the other hand, will be implemented by the DepEd for undernourished public school children from kindergarten to Grade 6. Children under this program will likewise receive one fortified meal for a period of not less than 120 days in a year.
RA 11037 defines a fortified meal as “a meal with deliberately increased content of essential micronutrients so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food and provide the level of calories and protein as prescribed by the National Nutrition Council.”
The law also provides for a milk feeding program, wherein fresh milk and fresh milk-based food products shall be incorporated in the fortified meals and standardized menus prepared by the national government agencies.
