MATAPOS maalarma sa tumataas na overweight rate sa bansa, isinusulong ni Senador Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. na maisama sa school curricula ang anti-obesity education program.

Sa  Senate Bill 1121, iginiit ni Revilla ang mandatory inclusion ng anti-obesity education program and exercise, kabilang na ang traditional games sa pre-school, elementary at high schol curricula sa pampubliko at pribadong paaralan.

“The awareness, appreciation and responsibility of a person to his own health should start at a young age to build a strong foundation of healthy lifestyle and to encourage prevention of illnesses,” pahayag ni Revilla sa kanyang explanatory note.

Lumitaw sa National Nutrition Survey ng Food and Nutrition Institute ng Department of Science and Technology na noong June 2013 hanggang April 2014, limang porsiyento ng mga batang may edad 0-5 years old ay overweight.

Nasa 9.1 porsiyento naman ang overweight sa mga may edad lima hanggang 10 at 8.3 percent sa mga 10 hanggang 19.

Sinabi ni Revilla na ang higit na nakaaalarma ay nasa 31.1 porsiyento ng adult na may edad 20 pataas ang overweight o obese.

“This measure seeks to promote health and wellness of Filipino students by making it mandatory to include anti-obesity education program and exercise including play and traditional Filipino games in the educational curricula,” diin ni Revilla.

Nakasaad sa panukala na mandato ng Department of Education na bumalangkas ng mga naaakmang programa sa bawat grade level upang palakasin ang physical education.

Nilinaw naman sa panukala na ang extracurricular sports activities sa mga estudyante ay mananatiling boluntaryo at titiyaking organisado ng sports department ng bawat paaralan.