Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid is now pushing for the bill seeking to ban junk foods and sugary drinks in schools saying it is high time to promote a healthy food and beverage program for all public elementary and secondary schools and learning institutions.

Lapid, in filing Senate Bill No. 1231, or the proposed Healthy Food and Beverage in Public Schools Act, said it is time to promote healthy diet and positive eating environments to all students, teaching and non-teaching personnel.

The bill, he said, also seeks to address the worsening problems of child obesity and incidence of malnutrition among Filipinos

Lapid noted that healthy eating plays an important role in learning and cognitive development, citing that several studies have shown that children who do not get adequate nutrients experience more difficulty in learning from school leading to lower academic test scores, or worse, tend to drop out of school.

Under the measure, sale, distribution, and promotion of junk food and sugary drinks are prohibited inside and 100 meters from the perimeter of all public educational institutions.

“Maraming mga pag-aaral na ang nagpapakita na ang mga estudyanteng na hindi nakakakuha ng sapat na nutrisyon ay nahihirapang mag-pokus at matuto, na kadalasan ay humahantong sa mababang mga marka, o ‘di kaya naman, ay may posibilidad na huminto sa pag-aaral (There are many studies that show students that don’t get the right nutrition have a hard time focusing and learning and result to having low grades and they stop going to school),” Lapid said.

“Kung atin pong titiyakin na mayroong sapat akses ang mga mag-aaral sa mga pagkain na may mataas sa nutritional value, ay masisiguro natin na maitataas natin hindi lamang ang antas ng kalusugan ng mga mag-aaral, kundi pati na rin ang kanilang performance sa eskwelahan (If we make sure that students have access to right food that has high nutritional value, we can make sure that we can increase the level of health of our students and improve their performance),” the senator explained.