FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
S.B. NO. _--=2-=6-=4=2,--
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR VILLAR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
'stl1i1ltl? 
It;;(h:r O'f t~e _~;'rnrbl'~ 
'11 
JAN 19 P 5 :48 
The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the 
people and instillltealtlt consciousness among them. (Sec. 15 Article II, 
1987 Philippine Constitution) 
At the turn of the millennium, one hundre'd and eighty-nine United Nations 
member-countries reaffirmed their commitments' to the founding principles of the 
organization and took up the task of drawing attention to the most vulnerable with the 
adoption of the Millennium Declaration. This instrument provided for the 
commitments to achieve the eight millennium development goals and the specific 
targets under them by 2015. This declaration reflects the vision of nations of helping 
one another together with international and municipal organizations, to eradicate 
poverty and other forms of human deprivation, and put in place the mechanisms for 
sustainable human development by the year 2015. 
It is the target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) to reduce by 
half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, halt the prevalence of 
underweight children and lessen the proportion of population below the minimum 
level of dietary energy consumption. 
In the Philippines, nutrition is one of the problems that must be addressed in 
child care and health issues. It is reported that 4 million preschool children (aged 5 
and below) are underweight and stunted, this number represents 32% of the 
popUlation of children in the country.! Hunger and malnutrition leads to vulnerability 
to disease, especially in children. Thus pursuant with the MDG's, the Philippines 
must provide for programs for encouraging awareness in proper nutrition and at the 
same time address malnutrition such as, protein energy malnutrition, iron and iodine 
deficiencies and Vitamin A deficiencies. 
The number of instant food mixes and other processed food which specifically 
cater to the palate and food sensitivities of the young reflects the lack of regard for 
proper diet and nutrition for children, this only shows that child nutrition is 
marginalized and is least understood by a majority of our population. The lack of 
I As cited from the Philippine Daily Inquirer Online 
http://op in ion. inq uirer .net/inquireropinionltalkofthetown/view 1201 00724-282969/Malnutrition-am ong-
Filipino-kids-up 0 J II 7/20 I I 3 :00 PM 


government policies specifically providing for access to information on nutrition and 
making nutrient rich food items available for all compromises the sustenance which a 
growing child is suppose to obtain in order to promote healthy growth and 
development. 
The establishment of vegetable gardens in schools can be an effective tool 
for hunger mitigation, In Dagupan City for example, they established Gulayan sa 
• 
Paaralan and used the produce to supplement the school feeding programs. This has 
lead to a significant reduction in the cities number to malnourished children. 
As attested by its city nutrition officer Leah Aquino, the city program on hunger 
mitigation has driven malnutrition rates from 10% in 2007 to 7.4% in 2009.2 
Aside from providing an interactive and hands-on learning environment, this 
bill aims that school vegetable gardens will also serve as a tool to teach the 
fundamental concepts about nutrition and the cultural and historical aspects of our 
food supply. By involving the parents and the other members of the community, 
school gardens can create opportunities for all to learn and make healthier food 
choices, participate more successfully in the educational processes and develop a 
deeper appreciation of their community. 
Through this bill, the mechanism for nutrition education is envisioned to be 
established and at the same time nutrient rich food items made available not only to 
the students but also to the community as a whole. By aiming to eradicate 
malnutrition and by focusing on the health of our young citizens we can better ensure 
the success of our future generation. 
For the foregoing reasons, the passage of this bill is sought. 
2 As cited from http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/20 1 0104/04/aliguas-dagupan-20 1 01 01117/2011 
ii:04AM 
' 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
S.B. NO. ~_2~6_4_2_ 
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR VILLAR 
AN ACT 
MANDATING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL 
GARDENS IN ALL ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS, 
PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, MAKING IT A REQUIREMENT FOR THE 
CREATION AND ISSUANCE OF PERMITS FOR SCHOOLS AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate of the Philippines and the House 
of Representatives in Congress assembled 
CHAPTER I . 
PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS 
SECTION 1. Title- This Act shall be known as the "Instructional Gardens Act of 
2011 ". 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy.- It is the policy of the State to protect and promote the 
right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. Towards 
this end the State shall adopt and put in place hunger mitigation and poverty 
alleviation schemes to promote the nutrition, food security and economic stability of 
its citizens. 
To ensure the fulfillment of this goal, all educational institutions shall be 
required to include nutrition and health consciousness in their curriculum, they are 
mandated to devote a reasonable portion of their school lots to serve as instructional 
gardens for the growing of vegetables and other plants having nutritional value. 
CHAPTER II 
INSTRUCTIONAL GARDENS 
Sec. 3. Definition of Instructional Garden - a plot of school land or an area within a 
school devoted to the growing of vegetables and other nutritional plants that promotes 


interactive, hands-on learning in which pupils learn composting and waste 
management techniques, 
fundamental 
concepts about nutrition and obesity 
prevention, and the cultural and historical aspects of agriculture and food and its role 
in the national economy. 
Sec. 4. The Instructional Gardens Program shall be implemented in all elementary and 
secondary schools, public or private. They shall devote a portion of their school lots 
for the cultivation of vegetables and other nutrient rich plants as identified by the 
Department of Health. 
Schools lacking in land or those located in urban areas shall avail of 
hydrophonic gardening methods and other organic gardening technologies with the 
assistance of the Department of Science and Technology and other government 
agencies. 
Sec. 5. It shall be mandatory for all elementary and secondary schools and to include 
nutrition and health consciousness in its curriculum as well as the cultural and 
historical aspects of agriculture and food production. This program shall be used to 
, 
equally enhance any subject area including science, environmental education, 
mathematics, reading, writing, art, nutrition, physical education, history, and 
geography. 
The schools shall develop a system of involving the parents of their students 
and the community at large in its instructional garden program to promote awareness 
on health and nutrition as well as the economic benefits of establishing a school, 
household and community garden. 
Sec. 6.- No school, elementary or secondary, shall be established without first 
securing an endorsement from the Division Superintendent attesting that a plot of land 
has been designated to form part of an instructional garden or an area has been 
identified where a garden using hydrophonic gardening methods and other organic 
gardening technologies shall be located. The provisions of this section shall apply to 
schools seeking the issuance of permits for their academic programs. 
Sec. 7.- All allocations of grants, endowments, donations, or contributions and 
technical assistance provided by the private individuals or corporations to schools and 
other educational institutions for this purpose as certified by the Department of 
Education, shall be exempt from taxes and duties. 
CHAPTER III 
GENERAL PROVISIONS 
Sec. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Department of Education after 
consultation with other government agencies, schools and education and health 
advocacy groups shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement this Act. 


Sec. 9. Repealing Clause. - All other laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, 
and administrative regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 
amended, modified or repealed accordingly. 
Sec. 10. Separability Clause. - In the event that any provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the validity of the other provisions. 
Sec. 11. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation. 
Approved,