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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Two birds in one shot: Eleazar vows free meal in public school to address kids' malnutrition, help for local farmers

Two birds in one shot: Eleazar vows free meal in public school to address kids' malnutrition, help for local farmers

Published Apr 10, 2022 11:19 am

Amid the economic hardship brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, senatorial candidate Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said it is high time for the national government to consider free meal program for public schools, especially for pre-schools and elementary students.

If given the chance to win a Senate slot, Eleazar said he will initiate the free meal program, which he said, will also be a big boost for local farmers.

Senatorial candidate Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar

He said said this program requires coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), the pilot areas are the poorest provinces in the country.

What he would push, according to Eleazar, is to allocate additional funds for the two agencies to buy agriculture products by local farmers that would be used by the public schools for the free meal program.

"This program will address both the malnutrition among children especially in poor provinces and and the local farmers who have been struggling over the years for decent source of income," said Eleazar.

He recalled that he personally witnessed how poor students would skip their classes because of poverty while some are forced to help their parents instead of going to school.

He said poverty is also the reason for the poor performance of the students especially in poor provinces as they could not concentrate well on their studies because of poor nutrition.

Eleazar said that this also explains the huge learning gap between students in poor provinces and their counterparts in Metro Manila and other urban areas, especially those enrolled in private schools.

“We need to address this problem and I believe this free meal program is one of the ways to narrow the learning gap. There a a lot of bright students in public schools but their academic performance are affected by poverty," said Eleazar who is a product of public school system from elementary to high school.

The free meal program he would push, according to Eleazar, would also include other health-related programs that include regular dental, eye and medical check-ups in public schools.

“We need to invest a lot in the children, the youth, because they are our future. The government owes to them the best that it could give in ensuring their good health and proper education,” said Eleazar.

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