Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas (Facebook)

Makabayan solon Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas has slammed the Department of Education (DepEd) for purportedly distributing spoiled food under its P5.69-billion School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP). 

Brosas, in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 3, claimed that the program led to the delivery of expired and moldy "nutribuns" to schools last year, which posed serious health risks to the school children. 

The SBFP--which in 2023 was implemented under then-DepEd secretary, Vice President Sara Duterte--was designed to combat malnutrition and provide nourishment to pupils. 

"We demand accountability from Vice President Sara Duterte and an overhaul of the procurement and delivery processes," Brosas declared. 

"Saan ka nakakita ng feeding program pero panis ang ipinamimigay? Mumo na nga lang ang budget sa edukasyon, tira-tira pa ang ipapakain sa mga bata,” she noted. 

(Where have you seen a feeding program that distributed spoiled food? The budget for education can hardly be felt, and the children are being fed with leftovers.) 

"Tinrato ni VP Sara Duterte na parang busabos ang mga kabataan. Imbis na aksyunan ang mga report, pinabayaan na lang na maipamahagi yung mga sirang pagkain masabi lang na nakapag-feeding program ito," said the assistant minority leader.  

(VP Sara Duterte treated the youth as if they were street children. Instead of acting on the reports, she let the distribution of spoiled food happen just to say that there was a feeding program.) 

Brosas said the Commission on Audit's (COA) findings paint a disturbing picture across 21 school divisions in 10 regions, where children were served moldy, insect-infested bread, alongside late deliveries and dubious food manufacturing practices. 

Beyond the audit report from COA, Brosas demanded that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Government Procurement Policy Board release the procurement and liquidation reports of DepEd's feeding program. 

"This issue not only highlights administrative lapses but also underscores a grave injustice against children, who are left vulnerable to malnutrition and its detrimental impacts on their growth and development," said the party-list lawmaker.