No hungry child with National Feeding Law

No child should go hungry again with the signing into law of the National Feeding Program, Senator Grace Poe, one of the main authors of the measure, said.

Now Republic Act No. 11037, Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act was signed on June 20.

"Hunger strikes to the very core of our humanity. Children, most especially, will find it hard to understand why they do not have food to eat because the reality is they have a right to nutritious food," she said.

"This is why from my first day as a legislator, I have pushed vigorously for the passage of this bill. It is unforgivable not to be able to deal with hunger," she added.

Poe thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for signing the law, and her colleagues at the Senate and the House of Representatives for supporting its passage.

She said she would ensure that the law will be infused with the funding it deserves to make it come to full life and make its impact on the children. "This is an acknowledgment of the stark reality that adequate food and good nutrition are paramount to a child's ability to grow healthy and to succeed academically. When we feed them well, we don't only nourish the young's body, but the mind as well," she added.

The law establishes a national feeding program for undernourished children in public elementary school, kindergarten and day care centers.

The feeding program will be implemented in three components:

-School-based Feeding Program. Undernourished children from Kindergarten to Grade 6 will be given at least one fortified meal for not less than 120 days in a year. This will be carried out by the Department of Education.

-Supplemental Feeding Program for Day Care Children. Undernourished children from 3 to 5 years of age in day care centers will be given at least one fortified meal for not less than 120 days in a year. This will be implemented by local government units and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

-Milk Feeding Program. Fortified meals and cycle menu are to include fresh milk and fresh milk-based food products, to be implemented by the Department of Agriculture, Philippine Carabao Center and the Cooperative Development Agency.

Poe said the law will not only act as a safety net for students suffering from malnutrition, but will also cushion the impact of the high prices of food. "Free and nutritious food for their children will help ease the burden of families," she said.