Free healthy snacks, meals in schools pressed
SENATORIAL candidate and Makati Mayor Abby Binay has said she will push for free healthy snacks and meals in schools to address nutritional deficiencies among students.
Binay said this would help reduce the impact of malnutrition and hunger on academic performance.
“Napaka-importante ng wastong nutrisyon para makapag-aral nang mabuti ang mga estudyante. Kahit anong galing magturo ng kanilang mga guro at kahit may sapat silang kagamitan sa pag-aaral, mahihirapan silang ma-absorb ang mga leksyon kung nagugutom sila at kulang sa nutrisyon,” Binay said.
The senatorial bet said ongoing efforts to stop the decline of the quality of education in the country should focus first on the basics, including proper nutrition which is crucial to the optimal development of every individual.
“Sa basics lang muna tayo. Unahin natin ang kalusugan ng ating mga kabataan bago pa man tayo mamigay ng mga tablet o computer. Hindi rin magiging epektibo ang pagtatayo ng modernong school buildings kung hindi agad na matutugunan ang mga problema sa malnutrition tulad ng stunting at wasting sa ating mga mag-aaral,” Binay said.
The senatorial aspirant said she will push for comprehensive solutions, such as a nationwide feeding program targeting children at risk for malnutrition, especially those from poor families in rural and urban areas.
“The malnutrition problem requires a multi-stakeholder approach. Government at the national and local levels, including the barangays, and the private sector should synchronize their efforts to be able to sustain large-scale initiatives, such as a nationwide feeding program,” Binay said.
She also cited Makati’s Project FEED (Food for Excellent Education and Development) which she launched in March 2023 to provide free nutritious snacks to students in public elementary schools in the city.
“We partnered with the Department of Science and Technology in creating nutritious snacks for our students from kinder to Grade 6. Project FEED aims to alleviate hunger and develop healthy eating habits among young students,” Binay said.
“Gusto rin naming makatulong sa mga magulang na nahihirapang mag-budget. At least hindi na nila poproblemahin ang baon ng anak sa tuwing papasok sa eskwela,” she added.
She also underscored the importance of raising awareness, especially among mothers, on the importance of proper nutrition starting from conception.
“Habang ipinagbubuntis pa lamang ang bata, kailangang maalagaan na siya sa pamamagitan ng healthy eating habits at pag-inom ng vitamin supplements tulad ng iron, calcium at folic acid,” she said.
Binay said that her administration initiated the Baby Makatizen Project in 2018 to encourage pregnant residents to have regular prenatal checkups at the city’s health centers and city-run Ospital ng Makati. “We want them to fully benefit from our programs promoting safe pregnancy and childbirth and the health and well-being of both mother and child,” Binay said.
Mothers that have completed at least eight prenatal checkups under the Yellow Card Program are rewarded with newborn kits. These contain essentials like cloth diapers and washcloths, belly binders, swaddle blankets, infant clothes and booties, and rattle.
Through its comprehensive nutrition program, Makati has kept its malnutrition prevalence rate among the lowest in the country, at 0.27 percent as of 2024.
