HOUSE Committee on Basic Education and Culture Chairman Roman Romulo stressed the need to have a whole-of-government approach in the implementation of the Department of Education’s school-based feeding program to be effective in addressing the undernutrition problem of school children.

Romulo said local governments must implement the feeding program to improve the nutritional status and performance of learners, considering that there are about 28 million students enrolled in 47,000 DepEd schools.

“Kailangan din po natin ng tulong kahit ng local government kasi marami po tayong mga estudyante—in fact po sa totoo ‘no, we have about 27 to 28 million students sa ating… 47,000 DepEd schools, so sa totoo ay talagang medyo malaki rin po iyong pangangailangan natin na matulungan iyong ating mga kabataan dito at kailangan natin na magtutulungan talaga iyong national and local government,” Romulo said.

The program is targeting to give nutritionally balanced meals or food products for the entire academic year or 220 days, plus milk for 55 days, to severely wasted and wasted children from Kinder to Grade 6 who are underweight.

Romulo said the budget allocation for the school-based feeding program has been increased to account for the expansion from 120 days to 220 days.

The DepEd has also launched its mental health program, which has a budgetary allocation of PHP210 million this year to hire more mental health personnel in schools; download program support funds to field offices; and salary grade increase for registered psychologists.

Romulo said the House has already passed on final reading a measure that would promote the mental health and well-being of learners.