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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
2nd Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representative PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Farmers serve as the backbone of the country as they play the critical role of ensuring 
the country’s food security. Despite their invaluable contribution, most of them still 
fall below the poverty line as the Philippine Statistics Authority accounts for the 
sector’s poverty incidence rate at 30.6% in 2021. Worse, the nation continues to witness 
the local farmers’ excess agricultural produce go to waste and remain unutilized.  
In pursuit of promoting the agricultural sector and sustaining the livelihood of local 
farmers, it is imperative for the government to establish a system that will support the 
purchase and consumption of the local farmers’ produce in the event that these are 
not sold or consumed in the local markets. Hence, apart from institutionalizing the 
mandatory breakfast feeding program to all public day care centers, preschools, and 
elementary schools, this Bill seeks to mandate the national and local governments to 
purchase the produce of local farmers or producers for the proposed school feeding 
programs.  
The mentioned program will not only benefit local farmers but also the schools and 
students who are guaranteed with nutritious food that are prepared with fresh and 
in-season ingredients. It is only fitting to put our farmers first when attending to our 
countrymen’s need for subsistence, thereby placing our farmers at the frontlines for 
food requirements. Note however, that this bill does not aim to derail fair competition 
in terms of foreign trade and importation but to give priority to the country’s own 
produce.  
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
September 27, 2023
9:30 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
2nd Regular Session 
House Bill No. ________ 
Introduced by Representative PAOLO Z. DUTERTE 
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 THE 
"SCHOOL FEEDING 
PURCHASED FROM LOCAL FARMERS PROGRAM" 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
           SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "School Feeding 
Purchased from Local Farmers Program Act of 2023.” 
           SEC. 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. 
           SEC. 3. Breakfast Feeding Program. - 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 the Department 
of Education. School breakfasts shall be made available free of charge to school 
children in all public day care centers, preschools, 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 be made by the school authorities, based on guidelines to be issued by 
the Secretary of the Department of Education. 
           SEC. 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 (P5,000,000,000.00) shall be appropriated from the 
National Treasury for this purpose upon the effectivity of this Act. For every 
succeeding year thereafter, such amount shall be increased by increments of at least 
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Five Billion Pesos (P5,000,000,000.00) shall be appropriated from the National 
Treasury for this purpose upon the effectivity of this Act. For every succeeding year 
thereafter, such amount shall be increased by increments of at least Five Billion Pesos 
(P5,000,000,000.00). 
 
           SEC. 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.  
 
           SEC. 6. Technical Training and Assistance. - The Secretary of the Department 
of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Health, the 
Director of the FNRI, and the Director-General/Secretary of 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 security the produce of the identified farmers from the 
respective localities. 
 
           SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from 
the approval of this Act, the Secretary of the Department of Education, the Secretary 
of the Department of Health, the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Director of the FNRI, the Director-
General/Secretary of 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 alter its publication in a 
newspaper of general circulation. 
 
           SEC. 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. 
 
           SEC. 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. 
 
           SEC. 10. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,