If he gets elected, senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan intends to propose a legislation that would provide free and nutritious breakfast to students in pre-school to Grade 12 levels.
Speaking to volunteers during a meet-and-greet event in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija on Wednesday, March 26, the former senator and food security czar recognized the challenges of providing healthy and nutritious breakfast for school-age children.
“Libreng almusal mula daycare center hanggang Grade 12 dapat libre ang almusal para hindi nagugutom ang ating mga anak at masustansya ang kanilang mga pagkain. Sila ay makikinabang, makikinabang din ang ating mga magulang dahil hindi na pro-problemahin ang kanilang kakainin tuwing papasok ang mga anak (Breakfast for daycare center to Grade 12 students must be free so they won't get hungry and they are able to eat nutritious food. They will benefit from this, as well as their parents because they no longer have to worry about their children's food whenever they go to school)," Pangilinan said.
The former senator said he also intends to include in the proposed law that a portion of the food supply purchased by the schools must be bought directly from farmers and fisherfolk.
“Ilalagay natin sa panukalang batas na kalahati nung binibiling pagkain nung eskwelahan ay dapat binibili sa magsasaka at mangingisda sa lokal (na pamahalaan) para madagdagan na naman ang kita ng ating magsasaka at mangingisda (We will put in the proposed law that half of the food supply the school is buying must be purchased from farmers and fisherfolk in the local government unit to increase the income of farmers and fisherfolk),” Pangilinan added.
The senatorial candidate earlier expressed concern over the high number of malnourished children in the country, with the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) 2022 data showing that over three million Filipino children under five years old are stunted and over one million are wasted.
The Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) also reported that one in three Filipino children aged six to 12 suffers from malnutrition.
“Walang batang dapat mag-aral ng gutom. Sa libreng almusal, binibigyan natin sila ng pagkakataon na magtagumpay (There must be no hungry student. With free breakfast, we are giving them an opportunity to succeed),” the former food security secretary said.
Noting that poor nutrition can affect a child’s cognitive development, attention span, and energy levels, he lamented its impact on their learning and academic performance.
“Hindi sapat ang pangarap lang, kailangan din nila ng lakas. Ang gutom ay kalaban ng edukasyon. Kasama natin ang bawat bata sa kanilang tagumpay sa pamamagitan ng libreng almusal (To dream is not enough, they need strength. Hunger is an enemy of education. We bring every student to success through the free breakfast program),” Pangilinan said.
Funding for his proposed legislation can be sourced from existing government feeding and poverty alleviation programs, as well as through partnering with the private sector and non-government organizations, he added.