“Helping schoolchildren achieve normal nutrition means empowering them to achieve their potential as students, maximizing their capacity to learn..”

I was recently invited as guest of honor to commemorate the centenary of the monument of our national hero, Jose Rizal, in the city of Biñan in Laguna. Biñan, of course, is where Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso, lived. In fact, her house is right behind where her son’s monument stands. Biñan also served a special role in the life of Rizal as it was where he first received formal education. As we know from our history books, education played a large role in our national hero’s life.

Education is the topic I chose to discuss in this space for today as this is also close to my heart and seeing that we just celebrated the 167th birth anniversary of Rizal a few days ago.

As I mentioned in this same space a week ago, before I became a civil servant, I taught for 15 years as a professor at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law.

My mother was also a teacher. From a young age, she taught me the value of education. She always reminded me that it was the best legacy she could give me and my siblings. I was fortunate to have studied at the best schools, namely, the University of the Philippines and the London School of Economics.

It was Rizal who said the youth is the hope of the Fatherland. And in order for that hope to shine, they have to be healthy, educated, well-rounded individuals.

As a former member of the academe, I know firsthand what it means to have quality education. And so when I became a member of Congress, I was one of the principal authors of the House version of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. Thousands of college students are now able to study for free in state colleges and universities around the country. This was made possible because of the strong political will of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. This is in accordance with the constitutional requirement of the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education.

Gone are the days of academically gifted students agonizing over how to pay for their studies. This new law has eased the burden of our less privileged kababayans and now everyone has a chance to experience quality education.

Having made higher education accessible, we, of course, have not forgotten about our early childhood education. I was also one of the principal authors of the National School Feeding Act that was submitted to President Duterte for his signature. This bill serves as an alternative approach of providing free supplementary meals to kindergarten and elementary school children in public schools. The rationale behind this is to improve survival attendance rates of kindergarten and elementary pupils by mitigating malnourishment.

The Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) 2015 survey reported that around one-third of children 5.1 to 10 years old are underweight. It was further noted that underweight prevalence among children 0-10 years old increases with age.

Under the National School Feeding Act, the Department of Education is to conduct one feeding per day, five times a week, for at least 120 school days in one school year, providing the caloric requirements based on the dietary guidelines prescribed by the National Nutrition Council (NNC). With the passage of this legislation, school-based feeding programs will be institutionalized.

Helping schoolchildren achieve normal nutrition means empowering them to achieve their potential as students, maximizing their capacity to learn. It is a fact that well-fed children become better pupils. Studies have shown that children who skip breakfast perform poorly in tasks, have lower concentration, shortened attention span and lower IQ test scores compared to their well-fed classmates. After all, would you be able to concentrate on your lessons if your stomach is grumbling because it is empty? Just as a car would not run without gasoline, our brain would also function poorly without the nourishment it needs.

Indeed, research and common experience clearly reveal the direct relationship between good nutrition and learning: healthy students attend school more regularly, are physically able to cope with the needs of school, are more attentive in class and get along better with their peers.

This is the kind of development we want for our youth. Building a better country begins with building a better citizenry. This is the positive change for which we are aiming.