Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
2308

HOUSE BILL No. _~

Introduced by Reps. TEDDY A. CASINO and NERI JAVIER COLMENARES:

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 a 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
(DOST), by virtue of Executive Order No. 128, is mandated 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 underheight 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, Western 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 Mimatopa,
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, Eastern
Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Soccsksargen.

According to 'NRI, 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, Western Samar, 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 to their childsen 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
barangay d

Nationwide Child Nutrition Program in all public elementary schools and

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 ancl welfare of children.

Immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

Approved, C A
— in) te
iy é NO NERI JAVIER COLMENARES
Bayan Muna Party-list Bayan Mui Fergie



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. _ 2308

Introduced by Reps. TEDDY A. CASINO and NERI JAVIER COLMENARES

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 2010.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. \t is the declared policy of the State to promote the tights of
children to survival, development and special protection with full recognition of the nature of
childhood and its special needs, and to support the nutzitional needs of children to enhance their
learning 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 utrition programs are accessible to young children
throughout the early childhood years;

2. ‘To enhance 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 learning process through healthy body and physical environment,
5. ‘To ensure that young children are adequately prepared for the formal learning 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 early identification, prevention, referral and
intervention for developmental disorders and disabilities in early 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 che consent of parents. The program shall include:

1. Complementary feeding to ensure access to food supplements which will improve
utsitional status. This activity may also be used as a venue for other nutrition-related
tivities 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 (0 local houscholds and managed
by the community will be an effective strategy to address lack of nutritious food therein,

Uh accompanying benchmarks under the mandatory child nutrition program shall be
clewimined by the Department of Health in consultation with the Department of

\ chucation and the barangay having jurisdiction over the barangay day care center or the
public elementary school.

SECTION 5. Wholistic Approach. very agency of the national and local governments shall
cooperate and estend tull support and cooperation and make available such materials, data and other
resources as 1nuty be necessary to ensure the successful implementation of this Act. In particular:

‘The Departiient 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 (0 local food components, 2) priority areas
of the county where greater attention is needed, and 3) the groups of school children most likely to
benefit fron: sopplementary feeding,

The Departiient Social Welfare and Development shall assist in monitoring the weight and health of
chikdreo parsicipating in the supplementary schoolfeeding program.

The Deparineni of Agriculture and the National Food Authority shall make available warehouse,
trucking aod icilities.

The Departnent of Luterior and Local Government shall help enlist the support of local government
units in the accounplishment of program objectives.

‘The Nations] 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 Departinent 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,
wraye and other requirements for effective food handling and distribution.

insurance,



‘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 dietary
supplements

SECTION 6. Selection of Priority Areas. The Department of Health in consultation with the
Department of Hducation 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 imindatory child nutrition program within a period of six (6) months.

the followi

shall be considered in the selection of priority regions:

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 (6) mortality, malnutrition, maternal mortality, low participation rate in
Grade I, and high drop-out rate among Grade I pupils.

SECTION 7. Self Starting Barangays. A self-selection alternative is available for barangays not
selecte«! 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 funds for the
establishment, maintenance and operation of the mandatory child nutrition program shall be
appropriaced from the following sources:

+. ‘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 ot entities with
agencies of the government shall be deposited with an authorized government depository
bank ss trast liabilities and under the name of the agency concerned.

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

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

SECTION 9. Rep

contrary 10 or

ing Clause. All laws, decrees, rules and regulations, and executive orders
ent with this Act are repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 10. /:fivcrivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in at
least tw» 2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,