Press Release
July 6, 2009

Villar urges DepEd...
Bring Back Nutri-Bun and Change School Opening to September
Students' Nutrition and Safety should be Key Priorities, Too

A month after, more or less, after school year 2008-2009 officially started, Nacionalista Party President Senator Manny Villar urges the Department of Education (DepEd) to revisit and review some recommendations for reforms in the education system in the country.

Although raising the standards of education is of paramount importance, Villar cites that the students' good health and nutrition as well as safety should be prioritized also. Thus, Villar is re-emphasizing his recommendations related to these--bringing back nutri-bun and changing the school opening to September.

"There are formulas that have worked in the past that we can try to revive and test if they would work anew, such as giving students the dietary supplement 'nutri-bun'. We can also apply here some policies that work in other countries such as changing the school calendar to September to May," said Villar.

Villar has filed Senate bills regarding the said recommendations. Senate Bill 2403 or 'The Nutripack Act', which seeks to institutionalize a nutrient supplementing or feeding program similar to the nutri-bun feeding program during the 1970s-1980s to augment the dietary needs primarily of schoolchildren.

According to Villar, "Nutri-bun was really popular back then and adequately provided the nutritional value that school-going children need. After the controversies that hounded the multi-million noodles program of DepEd, nutri-bun may be a better and even healthier alternative since its been tried and tested before."

Meanwhile, Villar-sponsored Senate Bill 565 seeks to change the school calendar in the country from June to March, to September to May since the existing school calendar coincides with the rainy season in the country. Thus, classes are often cancelled due to typhoons.

"Every school year, its has always been the same, the students get stranded due to floods. On top of this, during the rainy months, it is also the time when respiratory and other diseases such as coughs, colds and chills strike. Now it is even aggravated by the Influenza A-H1N1. Also, there have been reported deaths and casualties among students due to flash floods, open manholes, overflowing of rivers among others," cited Villar.

Villar added: "Other government officials and legislators have expressed agreement with the change in school calendar. I also know that DepEd, through the initiative of Secretary Jesli Lapus, has conducted a survey about this. The appropriate Senate committee can review the results of the said survey to assess what parents, teachers and students have to say about it."

Furthermore, Villar cited, "With the change in our school calendar, the Philippines will be synchronized with the school calendar of other countries in the world, which is also important during this era of globalization."

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