SENATOR Juan Edgardo Angara filed a measure that seeks to expand the national feeding program in secondary schools.

Senate Bill 915 aims to amend Republic Act 11037 or the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act.

To address undernutrition, former President Rodrigo Duterte enacted Republic Act 11037 or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act which established a National Feeding Program for undernourished public-school children in day care centers, as well as those in Kindergarten to Grade 6.

However, problem of undernutrition still persists in older students as supported by the survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations that showed that around 12.2 percent of an estimated 3.1 million Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger from January to April 2022 due to lack of food.

“For nearly 30 years, undernutrition has been a chronic problem in the Philippines. The World Bank reports that in this duration, there have been almost no improvements in the prevalence of undernutrition in the Philippines, with the country ranking 5th among countries in the East Asia and Pacific region with the highest prevalence of stunting and among the 10 countries in the world with the higher number of stunted children,” Angara said in his explanatory note.

“Through this measure, we will aim to address what is identified as among the biggest problems of the student population by expanding the coverage of the School-Based Feeding Program as mandated by the RA 11037 to include learners from Grades 7 to 12 to ensure that proper government interventions are in place for the youth in their formative and adolescent years,” Angara stressed.

Angara also noted that poverty is one of the most common causes of undernutrition.

The lawmaker added that in overarching goal to ensure the country’s survival, recovery, revitalization from the Covid19 pandemic, there is a need to send a strong message that investments in human capital resources, specifically the youth, remains of tantamount importance.