SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
" 
' 
S. No. 
Introduced by Senator Gregorio B. Honasan II 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
According to the United Nations World Food Program, "Brazil is the fastest 
country in defeating poverty... In Brazil ". rather than investing in Food 
Subsidies, they invested in a School Feeding Program." 
Poverty in the Philippines remained unchanged in the past six years 
according to the National Economic and Development Authority and surveys 
released this year estimated more than 50% of our people considered 
themselves as living in poverty. This translates to more than 10 Million Filipino 
families. Recent surveys also report that more than 44% of our people are 
hungry. 
In Brazil,their government used a portion of their funds for poverty 
alleviation (1/3 of the funds) to purchase the produce of farmers and utilized the 
food they bought from the farmers of each locality to feed students of the same 
locality. 
The Department of Science and Technology has launched and continues 
to fund and develop the nutrition pack program. These packages which cost 
P6.50 per day are made of rice-mongo-sesame blends in 20-gram boxes that 
come in ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook packages. 
In October 2012, the 
Department of Education launched its School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP). It 
targets some 42,372 kindergarten to Grade 6 pupils that were identified as 
"severely wasted" children. The SBFP developed standardized recipes using 
malunggay and a 20-day cycle menu utilizing vegetables locally grown in school 
gardens. 
It is in this light that this Bill mandating the provision of free food for 
children in public schools and day care centers from products of farmers 
purchased by the government otherwise known as Libre Si Papa at Si Mama 
Program (Libreng Siguradong Pagkaing Parnbata at Siguradong May kita ang 
Magsasaka Program) is being proposed. 
With this strategy, we can hit 3 objectives: 
1) Save our children from malnutrition; 
2) Educate our Children - feeding them will keep them smart and in school; and 
3) Alleviate the poorest Filipinos from poverty, give the farmers dignity, and 
encourage the farmers to plant (since there is a guaranteed buyer - the 
government) and achieve food self-sufficiency. 


In viev·; of the fore;",,"}ing l approval of this bm is 
i , 
/ 
GJ~E~~R:O ft HONASAN U 
Senator 
/ 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
rG5 
S. No. __ 
Introduced by Senator GREGORIO B. HONASAN II 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FREE FOOD FOR CHILDREN IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND DAY 
CARE CENTERS FROM PRODUCTS OF FARMERS PURCHASED BY THE 
GOVERNMENT OTHERWISE KNOWN AS L1BRE SI PAPA AT SI MAMA 
PROGRAM 
(L1BRENG 
SIGURADONG 
PAGKAING 
PAMBATA 
AT 
SIGURADONG MAY KITA ANG MAGSASAKA PROGRAM) 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Free Food for 
Children and Guaranteed Income for Farmers Act or Libre Si Papa at Si Mama 
Program." 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to feed our 
children and secure their education. It is also the policy of the State to free our 
people from poverty by providing a guaranteed market for the products of our 
farmers, thereby promoting full employment in the agricultural sector, presently 
the sector with the highest poverty incidence. 
SECTION 3. Breakfast Feeding Progmm. - A breakfast feeding program 
shall be mandatory in all public day care centers, preschools, and elementary 
schools. This breakfast feeding program shall be administered by the Secretary 
of Education. 
School breakfasts shall be made available free of charge to school 
children in all public day care centers, preschool, and elementary schools. 
Feeding shall be done in the morning, preferably before the start of classes. 
School breakfasts must meet the applicable recommendations of the Food 
and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). The decisions about what specific food 
to serve and how they are prepared shall he made by the school authorities, 
based on guidelines to be issued by the Secretary of Education. 
SECTION 4. Guaranteed Market for Farmers Fund - A Guaranteed Market 
for Farmers Fund shall be established which shall be administered by the 
Department of Education .. Five Billion Pesos (P5,OOO,OOO,OOO.OO) shall be 
appropriated from the National Treasury for this purpose upon the effectively of 
this Act. For every succeeding year thereafter, such amount shall be increased 
by increments of at least Five Billion Pesos (P5,OOO,OOO,OOO.OO). 


SECTION 5. Guaranteed Market for Farmers - Farmers, identified by the 
Department of Agriculture and the Department of Social Welfare and 
Development under the National Household Targeting Survey to be living in 
poverty, shall be given a guarantee that their produce shall be purchased by the 
government. The maximum amount to be allocated for each farmer shall be 
determined so as to ensure that their net income shall not fall below the poverty 
threshold for their respective localities/regions. 
SECTION 6. Technical Training and Assistance. - The Secretary of 
Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Health, the FNRI, and the 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), shall develop a 
program to provide the food service personnel of public day care centers, 
preschools, and elementary schools with technical training and assistance to 
prepare healthy meals. The same personnel shall be responsible for securing the 
produce of the identified farmers from the respective localities. 
SECTION 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -Within ninety (90) 
days from the approval of this Act, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of 
Health, the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, the Secretary of the 
Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the FNRI, the TESDA, and other 
appropriate government agencies, shall promulgate the rules and regulations to 
implement the provisions of this Act. Such rules and regulations shall take effect 
fifteen (15) days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation. 
SECTION 8. Separability Clause. - If any provision, or part hereof, is held 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or 
issuance, executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or 
regulation contrary to or inconsistent with, the prOVisions of this Act is hereby 
repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) 
days after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
2