Change in school food programme

Manila: The government will stop giving out 1kg bags of rice to schoolchildren but will instead give them milk and noodles to eat at school to stop them from taking the food home.

The effort will also prevent government officials from using the feeding programme to get commissions from rice importers to the detriment of local farmers, said Senator and former Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara.

Angara on Friday questioned the recent importation of 1 billion pesos worth of rice by the National Food Authority and its scheduled importation of 2 billion pesos more for the school-feeding programme of the Department of Education.

Breakfast

The feeding programme was designed to give breakfast to school kids to enhance their academic performance after a study showed many of them become listless and fared poorly in school because they attend classes on empty stomachs.

But the programme's intention was not being realised because the children were bringing home the uncooked rice for their families' use, Angara said.

Angara said Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya and education officials had agreed to his proposal. Instead of rice, the children will be given milk and nutritious noodles, which they will consume in school.

Angara said this will help stop food and education department officials who are taking advantage of the programme from getting fat commissions from rice importers.