Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act

Case Overview and Summary

Summary of Republic Act No. 11037 ("Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act")

Objective and Policy (Section 2):
- Establish a comprehensive national feeding program to address undernutrition among Filipino children, recognizing the relationship between food, nutrition, and students' capacity to develop and learn.

Definitions (Section 3):
- Cycle Menu: Standardized menus prepared by national agencies, considering age, location, school type, and local preferences.
- Fortified Meal: A meal with increased micronutrient content, providing at least one-third of the daily requirement based on the Philippine Dietary Reference Intake (PDRI).
- Health Examination: Examination of a program beneficiary's overall condition, including height, weight, and any ailments or deformities.
- National Government Agencies (NGAs): Department of Education (DepED) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as lead agencies for implementation.
- Undernourished Child: A child supplied with less than the minimum essential foods for sound health and growth, including those suffering from chronic hunger, malnutrition, wasting, severe wasting, or stunting.

National Feeding Program Components (Section 4):
- Supplemental Feeding Program for Day Care Children (DSWD): Provide at least one fortified meal for 120 days per year to undernourished children aged 3-5 years in day care centers.
- School-Based Feeding Program (DepED): Provide at least one fortified meal for 120 days per year to undernourished public school children from kindergarten to grade 6.
- Milk Feeding Program: Incorporate fresh milk and milk-based products in fortified meals, utilizing locally produced milk to boost the dairy industry (Section 4c).
- Micronutrient Supplements: Provide micronutrient supplements, including iodized salt, to program beneficiaries (Section 4d).
- Health Examination, Vaccination, and Deworming: Conduct health examinations, deworming, and vaccination for program beneficiaries (Section 4e).
- Gulayan sa Paaralan (School Garden): Encourage cultivation of nutrient-rich plants in schools (Section 4f).
- Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): Establish and maintain water and sanitation facilities, promote good hygiene and safe food preparation (Section 4g).
- Integrated Nutrition Education, Behavioral Transformation, and Social Mobilization: Implement public health, nutrition, and values transformation campaigns, orientation-training, and community mobilization (Section 4h).

Prioritization (Section 5):
- NGAs shall create a 5-year plan to fully implement the program, prioritizing areas with the highest prevalence of undernutrition, available facilities, and willingness to provide counterpart resources.

National Nutrition Information System (Section 6):
- The National Nutrition Council (NNC) shall harmonize existing national and local nutrition databases to identify individuals, groups, and localities with the highest magnitude of hunger and undernutrition.

Local Government Assistance (Section 7):
- Local government units (LGUs) shall assist NGAs in program implementation and may use a portion of the Special Education Fund (SEF) and/or their 20% development fund.

Private Sector Participation (Section 8):
- NGAs shall encourage participation of the private sector, including parent-teacher associations, private corporations, peoples and non-government organizations.

Monitoring and Annual Report (Section 9):
- NGAs, in coordination with LGUs, NNC, and stakeholders, shall regularly monitor, review, and assess the program's impact and compliance with standards and guidelines.
- NGAs shall prepare and submit an annual report on the program's implementation status to the Office of the President and Congress.

Tax Exemption (Section 10):
- Donations or bequests made to NGAs or government agencies for the program shall be exempt from donor's tax.

Appropriations (Section 11):
- The initial implementation shall be sourced from current appropriations of NGAs, and subsequent funding shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Procurement and Audit (Section 12):
- Relevant agencies shall establish and promulgate a community-based mode of procurement, liquidation, and audit for the efficient and effective implementation of the program by NGAs and LGUs.

Implementing Rules and Regulations (Section 13):
- Within 90 days of effectivity, NGAs, in consultation with relevant agencies, shall promulgate rules and regulations for the efficient and effective implementation of the Act.