Senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan is calling for the decentralization of government feeding programs, citing urgent reforms to prevent food waste.
The former food security secretary, who is running on the platform of food security and lower prices of goods, is proposing a “Libreng Almusal” program for kinder to senior high school students in public schools to address school dropout rates and learning deficiencies.
Various government agencies are currently implementing school meal programs but these are not streamlined, Pangilinan stressed, adding it is time to stop the current top-down approach that ends up spoiling food instead of saving children from hunger.
“Ang nangyayari rin kasi sa mga feeding programs na ito, mga traders ang binibilhan ng ating DSWD (Department of Social and Welfare Development) tapos centralized pati. Ibig sabihin ng centralized, manggagaling pa ng central office bago ibababa sa mga probinsya eh ano nang klase ng kalidad ng mga pagkain kapag ganon (Under our current feeding programs, DSWD is buying from traders and it is centralized. Meaning it is coming from the central officer before being taken to the provinces, so what quality of food we get from that)?” Pangilinan said during a media interview in San Fernando, Pampanga on April 9.
“Hindi na siya sariwa, hindi pa siya masustansya. In fact, 'di ba may mga insidente pa inaamag, nabubulok (It is no longer fresh, it's not even nutritious? In fact, there are even instances that there are molds and are spoiled). This has to be decentralized. This has to be implemented together with the local governments pero dapat budgetan nang husto (but it must be funded properly),” the former senator added.
He called the school feeding programs “very basic” for students, so they can continue their studies instead of dropping out from school.
Pangilinan pointed out that there is strong evidence that when children are well-fed, it becomes conducive to learning and reduces dropout rates by as much as 26 percent to 27 percent.
His “Libreng Almusal” program hopes to keep students in school rather than have them dropout for early work.
And to “hit two birds with one stone,” Pangilinan also plans to propose that half of the budget for the school feeding programs will go to buying directly from farmers and fisherfolk in the local community of the schools.