Title
National Feeding Program for Undernourished Children
Law
Republic Act No. 11037
Decision Date
Jun 20, 2018
The "Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act" is a Philippine law that establishes a national feeding program to provide nutritious meals to undernourished Filipino children, with a focus on school-based and supplemental feeding programs, health examinations, and nutrition education.

Q&A (Republic Act No. 11037)

The short title of Republic Act No. 11037 is the "Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Filipino Act."

The main purpose is to institutionalize a national feeding program for undernourished children in public day care, kindergarten, and elementary schools to combat hunger and undernutrition among Filipino children.

The Department of Education (DepED) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are the lead agencies for implementing the National Feeding Program.

The Supplemental Feeding Program targets undernourished children aged three (3) to five (5) years in day care centers.

A Fortified Meal is defined as a meal with deliberately increased content of essential micronutrients to improve nutritional quality and provide at least one-third of the daily requirement of calories and protein based on the Philippine Dietary Reference Intake (PDRI).

The components include Supplemental Feeding Program for day care children, School-Based Feeding Program for public elementary children, Milk Feeding Program, Micronutrient Supplements, Health Examination/Vaccination/Deworming, Gulayan sa Paaralan, Water/Sanitation/Hygiene (WASH), and Integrated Nutrition Education and Social Mobilization.

The programs must provide at least one fortified meal for a period of not less than one hundred twenty (120) days in a year.

LGUs are tasked to assist the NGAs in implementation, are authorized to use a portion of their Special Education Fund or 20% development fund to augment appropriations, and coordinate in health examinations, deworming, and vaccination.

Prioritization is based on LGUs or schools with the highest prevalence of undernutrition among children aged three to grade six, available facilities or capability to implement the program, or those prioritizing the program and willing to provide counterpart resources.

No, any donation or bequest made to the NGAs or government agencies and LGUs for the Program is exempt from donor's tax, subject to approval for donations in kind by the NGAs.


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