House OKs bill on national school feeding program

MANILA, Philippines -  The leadership of the House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to institutionalize the national school feeding program for public kindergarten and elementary school pupils.

House Bill 5269 or the National School Feeding Program (NSFP) aims to mitigate malnourishment among school children, ensuring that they will be adequately prepared for the formal learning system.

The administration-backed measure seeks to establish a system for early identification, prevention, referral and intervention of developmental disorders and disabilities in early childhood.

The NSFP will serve as an alternative approach for providing free supplementary meals, including fresh milk and fresh milk-based food products, through a program menu particularly for all children studying in public kindergarten and elementary schools nationwide.

It authorizes the Department of Education (DepEd) to lead the NSFP administration and implementation.

The NSFP involves a minimum of 120 feeding days per school year to be done five days a week.

There shall be one feeding activity per school day to provide the prescribed calorie and protein levels on dietary supplementation to be issued by the National Nutrition Council (NNC).

The DepEd shall ensure that the beneficiary children eat their meals and drink their milk inside the classroom only, and thus be prohibited from taking their rations home.

The DepEd shall conduct orientation-training activities utilizing its core of trainers to all DepEd health and nutrition unit personnel at the regional and division levels so as to generate their support to the NSFP’s objectives and mechanics.

The procurement, storage and handling of appropriate food supplies shall be spearheaded by the DepEd, in coordination with the NNC, the Food and Nutrition Research Center and other concerned government agencies. 

Several national government agencies, in coordination with the DepEd, shall be tasked to make available such resources as may be necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the NSFP.

Among them are the Departments of Agriculture, Interior and Local Government, Social Welfare and Development, Trade and Industry, Health, National Food Authority, Food and Drug Administration, National Dairy Authority, National Economic and Development Authority, NNC and Food and Nutrition  Research Center.