Creation of the Mindanao School Supplementary Feeding Program Task Force

December 21, 1977

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 644

DIRECTING THE ACCELERATION OF THE SUPPLEMENTARY SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON MINDANAO

 

WHEREAS, school supplementary feeding has been an established priority project of government, forming part of the nationwide nutrition program being conducted under the auspices of the First Lady;

WHEREAS, school supplementary feeding has been actively supported not only by the national government, but also by international agencies including Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere (CARE), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the World Food Programme (WFP); acd

WHEREAS, the expansion of the school supplementary feeding program will complement the efforts addressed to pre-school and children identified by "Operation Timbang" and covered by LOI No. 441;

WHEREAS, survey data shows the need for improving nutrition among Mindanao school children;

WHEREAS, the rehabilitation and development of Mindanao may be more quickly attained with a more aggressive school supplementary feeding programs therein;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, do hereby issue the following instructions:

1. The Secretary of Education and Culture shall review the plans, programs and implementation of the school supplementary feeding program, with the purpose of identifying (a) ways and means of increasing the volume of supplementary feeding with particular attention to local food components, (b) priority areas of the country where greater attention is needed, and (c) the groups of schoolchildren most likely to benefit from supplementary feeding.

2. A Task Force, to be known as "Mindanao School Supplementary Feeding Program Task Force" is hereby created and assigned with the responsibilities of preparing and implementing a comprehensive program for school feeding in Mindanao, including specification for successful implementation, sources of food supplies and resource and financial requirements.

3. The Task Force shall consist of the Secretary of Education and Culture, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health, the Secretary of National Defense, the Secretary of Social Services and Development, the Secretary of Economic Planning, the Commissioner of the Budget, and the National Nutrition Council, or their representatives. The Secretary of Education and Culture or his representative shall be the Task Force Chairman. cdt

4. The School Health and Nutrition Unit of the Department of Education and Culture, hereby created into a School Health and Nutrition Center, shall acts as the Task Force Secretariat, in addition to its basic responsibilities of implementing the school supplementary feeding program.

5. The Department of Education and Culture and the Task Force may call upon all agencies of the government for necessary assistance in the school supplementary feeding program, particularly for Mindanao, including the following:

a. The Department of Agriculture and the National Grains Authority shall make available warehouse, trucking, and other facilities.

b. The Department of Health and Department of Social Services and Development shall assist in monitoring the weight and health of school children participating in the supplementary school feeding program;

c. The Department of National Defense shall provide necessary security measures covering food supplies and personnel;

d. The Department of Local Government and Community Development shall help enlist the support of local government units in the accomplishment of program objectives;

e. The Secretary of Economic Planning shall assist in the determination of official development assistance sources to expand the inputs into the school supplementary feeding program;

f. The Budget Commission help prepare work and financial plans covering the food assistance program, particularly the peso counterpart requirement involved in the freight, insurance, storage and other requirements for effective food handling and distribution. cd

DONE in the City of Manila, this 21st day of December, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Seven.