Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

1452

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by BAYAN MUNA
Reps. NERI J. COLMENARES and CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A MANDATORY NATIONWIDE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM
IN ALL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND BARANGAY DAY CARE CENTERS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘The future lies in the hands of today's children. To prepare them for their role as our future leaders,
they must be afforded quality nutrition to give them 2 good start in developing their skills and
potentials during their tender years. Adequate and quality nutrition is integral to a child's total
development.

‘The Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology
(DOSN), by virtue of Executive Order No. 128, is niandated to conduct research every five years on
the nutritional status of the population particularly malnutrition. Its latest 2008 survey results
include the following:

1, The number of Filipino children who were underweight and underheight or stunted
increased from 2005 to 2008;

2. The prevalence of underweight children aged 0-5 years increased from 24.6 percent to
26.2 percent, about 3.35 million children;

3. The underheight rate increased from 26.3 percent to 27.9 percent, representing 3.57
million children; and

4, There was also a significant increase in the prevalence of underweight children aged 6-10
years from 22.8 percent in 2005 to 25.6 percent in 2008, equivalent to 2.6 million. The
‘number of undetheight children in this age group likewise increased from 32 percent to 33.1
percent.

The research also showed that a very high level of acute malnutrition among preschoolers (aged 0-5)
was noted in six regions, namely Mimaropa, Bicol, Westem Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga
Peninsula and Soccsksargen where the underweight-for-age prevalence was at least 30 percent.


‘A high prevalence of underheight-for-age or stunted preschoolers was mostly observed in Mimaropa,
Bicol, and all the regions in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Chronic malnutrition affected a very high percentage of preschoolers in the provinces of Masbate,
Biliran, Northern Samar, Western Samar, Zamboanga Sibugay, Sarangani, Abra and Mountain
Province.

Meanwhile, the regions with very high prevalence of stunted schoolchildren were Mimaropa,
Eastem Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northem Mindanao and Socesksargen.

‘According to FNRI, long standing or chronic malnutrition affected a very high percentage of
schoolchildren in 25 provinces, including Abra, Aurora, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental,
Marinduque, Catanduanes, Masbate, Negros Occidental, Northern Samar, Westem Samat, Leyte,
Bukidnon, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga
Sibugay, Misamis Occidental, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Basilan,

Food is the most basic of all necessities that, unfortunately, cannot be adequately provided by all
parents (o their children all the time. Regular meals have become a privilege to most. Children going
to school on an empty stomach is a crude testament of the grinding poverty besetting most Filipinos.

‘This bill legislates a Nationwide Child Nutrition Program in all public elementary schools and
barangay day care centers throughout the country. This Nutrition Program which makes feeding for
schoolchildren mandatory is in keeping with the State's declared policy of promoting and protecting
the rights and welfare of children.

Immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought. -

ht DOES. ‘Tt. ZARATE

Bayan Muna Partylist



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

452

HOUSE BILL No. 1452

Introduced by BAYAN MUNA
Reps. NERI J. COLMENARES and CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A MANDATORY NATIONWIDE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM
IN ALL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND BARANGAY DAY CARE CENTERS

SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the “Child Nutrition Law of 2013.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Poligy. It is the declared policy of the State to promote the rights of
children to survival, development and special protection with full recognition of the nature of
childhood and its special needs, and to support the nutritional needs of children to enhance their
leaning capacities in compulsory basic education. To this end, the State shall institutionalize a
mandatory child nutrition program in all and public, elementary schools and barangay day care
centers that is comprehensive, integrative and sustainable on a national basis.

SECTION 3. Objectives. The objectives of the mandatory child nutrition program are:

1, To achieve improved child attendance and survival rates in day care centers and schools
by ensuring that adequate health and nutrition programs are accessible to young children
throughout the early childhood years;

2. Toenhance the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, psychological, spiritual and
language development of young children;

3, To enhance the role of public elementary schools and barangay day care centers as
surrogate caregivers of children;

4, To facilitate the leaming process through healthy body and physical environment;

5. To ensure that young children are adequately prepared for the formal leaming system and
that both public elementary schools and barangay day care centers are responsive to the
developmental needs of these children; and

6. To establish an efficient system for eatly identification, prevention, referral and
intervention for developmental disorders and disabilities in eatly childhood.


SECTION 4. Program Framework. The mandatory child nutrition program shall be provided for
children enrolled or studying in public elementary schools and barangay day care centers regardless
of age with the consent of parents. The program shall include:

1. Complementary feeding to ensure access to food supplements which will improve
nutritional status. This activity may also be used as a venue for other nutrition-related
activities such as micronutrient supplementation, weighing and growth monitoring,
deworming of children, and emergency feeding during and after disasters. Health and
nutrition counseling and education may also form an integral part of this activity and
health personnel may be tapped as resource persons.

2. Dietary diversification/backyard gardening to assure availability of nutritious food in the
local areas. Enhancing community resources accessible to local households and managed
by the community will be an effective strategy to address lack of nutritious food therein.

‘The accompanying benchmarks under the mandatory child nutrition program shall be
determined by the Department of Health in consultation with the Department of
Education and the barangay having jurisdiction over the barangay day care center or the
public elementary school.

SECTION 5. Wholistic Approach. Every agency of the national and local governments shall
cooperate and extend full support and cooperation and make available such materials, data and
other resources as may be necessary to ensure the successful implementation of this Act. In
particular

‘The Department of Health in consultation with the Department of Education and the appropriate
barangay shall review the plans, programs and implementation of the school or day care
supplementary feeding program, with the purpose of identifying: 1) ways and means of increasing
the volume of supplementary feeding with particular attention to local food components, 2) priority
areas of the country where greater attention is needed, and 3) the groups of schoo! children most
likely to benefit from supplementary feeding.

‘The Department Social Welfare and Development shall assist in monitoring the weight and health of
children participating in the supplementary schoolfeeding program.

‘The Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority shall make available warchouse,
trucking and facilities.

‘The Department of Interior and Local Government shall help enlist the support of local government
‘units in the accomplishment of program objectives.

‘The National Economic and Development Authority shall assist in the determination of official
development assistance sources to expand the inputs into the school supplementary feeding

program.
‘The Department of Budget and Management shall help prepare work and financial plans covering

the food assistance program, particularly the peso counterpart requirement involved in the freight,
insurance, storage and other requirements for effective food handling and distribution.


‘The Department of Trade and Industry shall look for cost-effective sources for components of the
mandatory child nutrition program, including but not limited to foodstuffs, vaccines and dictary

supplements.

SECTION 6. Selection of Priority Areas. The Department of Health in consultation with the
Department of Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development shall select at
least five (5) regions for each year based on the criteria provided herein in order to achieve a
national coverage for a period of three (3) years. All barangays within the selected region shall
establish their respective mandatory child nutrition program within a period of six (6) months.

‘The following criteria shall be considered in the selection of priority regio

1, Low level of participation of 3-5 year old population in existing day care and pre-school
services; and

2. Number of provinces and cities with high incidence of poverty, low birth weight, infant
and under-five (5) mortality, malnutrition, maternal mortality, low participation rate in
Grade I, and high drop-out rate among Grade I pupils.

SECTION 7, Seff-Starting Barangays, A self-sclection alternative is available for barangays not
selected as priority site for a given year but which can afford to institutionalize a mandatory child

nutrition program in its locality.

SECTION 8. Funds for the Mandatory Child Nutrition Program. The fands for the
establishment, maintenance and operation of the mandatory child nutrition program shall be
appropriated from the following sources:

1. Ten percent (10%) of the recorded income of the general fund accruing from interest on
deposit accounts and performance bonds and any forfeited amounts therefrom,
Performance bonds and deposits filed or posted by private persons or entities with
agencies of the government shall be deposited with an authorized government depository
bank as trust liabilities and under the name of the agency concerned.

2, Ten percent (10%) of the total amount specifically identified and authorized intelligence
and confidential funds as provided for in the budgets of departments, bureaus, offices or
agencies of the national government, which shall be prorated among them.

3. Fifteen percent (15%) of the total amount automatically appropriated for debt service
compounding both interest payment and principal amortization thereon.

SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, rules and regulations, and executive orders
contrary to or inconsistent with this Act ate repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 10. Fffectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in at
least two (2) newspapers of general circulation

Approved,