Masustansyang Pagkain Para Sa Batang Pilipino Act

Office of tie a lay TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 25 AUG -5 P2:10 First Regular Session SENATE RECEIVED SY S. No. 902 Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada AN ACT EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE NATIONAL FEEDING PROGRAM TO INCLUDE SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11037 OR THE "MASUSTANSYANG PAGKAIN PARA SA BATANG PILIPINO ACT" EXPLANATORY NOTE A World Bank report found that childhood undernutrition could lead to a staggering loss of our country's human and economic potential, as such, eliminating malnutrition could improve a child's development and future employability, and increase our country's GDP by a significant amount. It stresses further that investments in nutrition are highly cost-effective.1 To respond to this concern, Republic Act No. 11037, otherwise known as the "Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act" was signed into law on June 20, 2018 to institutionalize the National Feeding Program for undernourished children in public day care, kindergarten and elementary schools. The latest Expanded National Nutrition Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute has found that adolescents (aged 10 to 19 years old) from rural areas and those from the poorest households showed higher prevalence of stunting 1 Mbuya, N. V. N., Demombynes, G., Piza, S. F. A., and Adona, A. J. V. (2021) "Undernutrition in the Philippines: Scale, Scope, and Opportunities for Nutrition Policy and Programming." World Bank Group.

compared to their counterparts in urban areas and richer households?. Adolescence is a pivotal time in a person's life, particularly in terms of growth and development. Proper nutrition undeniably plays a key role in this, especially with regard to a student's concentration, cognitive functions, and overall academic performance. As such, the provision of fortified meals to students, replete with essential nutrients is important. Unfortunately, this is not readily available to all students, particularly those from households in the lowest quantiles who may have limited access to adequate nutritional meals at home. This bill seeks to expand the coverage of the National Feeding Program to include children in secondary schools as beneficiaries. It seeks to effectively address undernutrition that hampers a learner's ability to perform well in class--affecting their thinking skills, behavior, and overall health. By providing adequate food and nutrition to learners in basic education - both in elementary and high school levels, we will have healthier students who will have fewer absences and improved learning behavior, yielding in better and optimized learning in class. In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. /JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA 2 Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute. "Philippine Nutrition Facts and Figures 2018 - 2019: Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS)". May 2022.

Bili TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) AUG -5 P2:10 First Regular Session ) SENATE RECEIVED DY S. No. _ Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada AN ACT EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE NATIONAL FEEDING PROGRAM TO INCLUDE SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11037 OR THE "MASUSTANSYANG PAGKAIN PARA SA BATANG PILIPINO ACT" Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Section 4 (b) of Republic Act No. 11037 otherwise known as the

"Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: "Section 4. (b) School-Based Feeding Program. - The DepEd shall implement a school-based feeding program for undernourished public school children from kindergarten to [grade six (6)] HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL: Provided, That the Program shall include the provision of at least one (1) fortified meal to all undernourished public KINDERGARTEN, elementary, AND SECONDARY school children for a period of not less than one hundred twenty (120) days in a year[;]: PROVIDED, FURTHER, THAT THE COST OF THE AFOREMENTIONED MEALS SHALL ENSURE THAT SCHOOL CHILDREN RECEIVE THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF NUTRITION, WHICH MAY BE ADJUSTED EVERY YEAR TO ACCOUNT FOR INFLATION AND FOR

NUTRITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS AS RECOMMENDED BY FNRI: PROVIDED, FURTHERMORE, THAT FOR EACH SCHOOL DIVISION OF DEPED, MEAL DISTRIBUTION AND OTHER OVERHEAD COSTS OF THE PROGRAM SHALL NOT BE MORE THAN TEN PERCENT (10%) OF THE TOTAL MEAL COST: PROVIDED, FINALLY, THAT IN THE PREPARATION OF FORTIFIED MEALS, THE DEPED SHALL COLLABORATE WITH RECOGNIZED PARENTS' ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS THE PARENTS OF THE BENECIFICARIES OF THE PROGRAM, WHENEVER APPLICABLE;

Sec. 2. Separability Clause. - Should any provision herein be declared

unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected shall remain in full force and effect.

Sec. 3. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or

other issuances or parts inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

Sec. 4. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,