00:00The government has directed the Department of Education or DepEd to prioritize the nutrition
00:06of young students by significantly increasing funding for the school-based feeding program.
00:12From an initial budget of over three billion pesos, the government has tripled the allocation
00:17to 11 billion pesos to expand the program's reach.
00:21The feeding initiative will now cover 160 feeding days, with an additional 15 days during
00:27the National Learning Camp.
00:29The program aims to address malnutrition by providing nutritious meals and drinks to students
00:34from kindergarten to elementary levels, ensuring their health and well-being as they continue
00:39their education.
00:40Meanwhile, around 300,000 households, equivalent to 1.5 million individuals, are receiving
00:48a monthly food assistance of 3,000 pesos from the Department of Social Welfare and Development
00:54or DSWD.
00:57We have this exam called the CARLA exam, it measures the literacy of the child, the ability
01:03to read.
01:04It improved, especially at the early grades, so it shows that the earlier we intervene,
01:11the better.
01:12There should be no Filipinos who will be hungry, which is why DSWD is trying to harmonize,
01:21to align the various programs and services of the national government agencies and that
01:26would continue to partner with the private sector so that we could collectively come
01:31up with sustainable solutions that would ultimately address the problem on hunger and malnutrition.
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