ANGARA LAUDS DOST NUTRITION PROGRAM

Senator Edgardo J. Angara commended the children's nutrition program organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), expressing his continuing support of the children's welfare advocacy.

As part of its "Sulong Pinoy" project, the DOST will launch a nutrition improvement program targeting infants and children between 0 to 24 months old. Residents in two towns in Antique province will undergo nutrition education, food preparation and proper feeding training to help improve the overall health of the town's children.

"I'm glad that several government agencies are taking on child nutrition programs--malnutrition is such a huge problem that it would take a united effort from different sectors to make a difference," said Angara.

To prove his commitment towards this cause, Angara filed Senate Bill No. 2038 or the Child Nutrition Act of the Philippines. Defined as "An Act Providing for a School Nutrition Program and for Other Purposes", this bill seeks to curb malnutrition in the country's youth through the establishment of a sustainable school feeding program.

The National Nutrition Council, the Department of Health and Department of Education would be tapped to help implement this project on a nationwide scale.

"The problem of malnutrition especially in our schoolchildren has long been the bane of the Philippine education system, as overall health is indelibly linked to academic performance. To improve one, we must solve the problems plaguing the other--and that would take a significant effort," said Angara, head of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.

Angara also spearheaded the "Oh My Gulay!" campaign launched last February, which aims to fight malnutrition by having school-age children grow and ultimately eat their own vegetables in school and at home. The campaign has attracted the support of big corporations eager to help address this age-old problem.