Senatorial candidate Harry Roque (File photo)
SORSOGON CITY – With the expected resumption of face-to-face classes, UniTeam senatorial candidate Harry Roque pushed for more free meals for preschool and elementary level students.
“Dapat lahat ng estudyante may libreng masustansyang tanghalian lalo na magkakaroon na ng face-to-face classes. Kailangan pong malusog ang ating mga estudyante sa pagbabalik eskwela nila (All students should have a free healthy lunch especially as there will be face-to-face classes. Our students need to be healthy when they return to school),” Roque said in a news release on Tuesday.
“Mahalaga po ang kalusugan ng mga bata lalo na po sa panahon na mayroon pa rin pong banta ng Covid-19 (The health of the kids is important especially now that the threat of Covid-19 still persists),” he added.
Roque was the principal author of the Republic Act No. 11037 or the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act which President Rodrigo Duterte signed in June 2018.
The law institutionalizes a National Feeding Program for malnourished children in public daycare, kindergarten, and elementary schools.
Under the law, the government provides a supplemental feeding program for daycare children; a school-based feeding program for public school children in kindergarten through Grade 6; a milk-feeding program; a micronutrient feeding program; health examinations, vaccinations, and deworming.
Roque said the Department of Education (DepEd) delivered nutritious food products to households or allowed parents to pick them up from schools because of the pandemic.
“Tayo po ang nagtaguyod ng libreng tanghalian. Noong wala pong face-to-face classes dinedeliver po ang masustansyang pananghalian sa mga kabataan may kasama ng gatas (We organized the free lunch. When there are still not face-to-face classes, healthy lunches were delivered to the youth with milk),” Roque said.
He said even without a pandemic, healthy food will still be delivered to the students. (PR)
