Survey results show school feeding measure needs to be sped up

MANILA—Following survey results which showed that 34 percent of Filipino respondents consider themselves as “food-poor”, a Senator on Tuesday reiterated her call to speed up the passage of a measure creating a national school-based feeding program.

“…The school-based feeding program should be included in the Senate’s priority bills that it wants to be passed as soon as possible. Let us allow the bill to have a smooth sailing in the legislature,” Sen. Grace Poe said.

The Fourth Quarter 2016 Social Weather survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) found that 34 percent of respondents or an estimated 7.7 million families considered the type of food they eat as poor. The survey results were released Monday (January 16).

Poe, co-sponsor of Senate Bill (SB) No. 1297 or An Act Creating a National School Feeding Program to Combat Hunger and Undernutrition for all Basic Education Students, said the survey signaled that a feeding program like this food-related measure should be “brought to the table.”

“The results of the survey send signals that policies on bringing food to the table—especially the children— are much needed. We should give our children the proper support and protection to empower them to become productive,” Poe said.

Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino III, chairman of the Senate education, arts and culture committee, and principal sponsor of SB 1297, has sponsored the measure last December. Poe’s SB 160 or the Libreng Pananghalian sa Pampublikong Paaralan was included in the consolidated measure.

Poe has been pushing for the institutionalization of an in-school free feeding program as her pet measure since she ran for the Senate in 2013.