Saying communities, especially school learners, should not go hungry or make do with foods that harm rather than nourish them, Senator Francis Pangilinan said he is working for a firmer program and funding commitment for the government’s Gulayan sa Barangay at Paaralan Program.
His goal: institutionalize the program to help address hunger, malnutrition, and stunting while strengthening food security at the community level.
Filed on August 4, Senate Bill 2380, which will be known as the Gulayan sa Barangay at Paaralan Act, aims to improve food access and strengthen household food security by institutionalizing community- and school-based gardens that produce fresh and nutritious vegetables and other products.
‘It is unjust to leave some barangays or school learners hungry, especially when we have the capacity to plant and harvest food in our own communities. This program has showcased the success of the barangays and schools that carried it out,’ the senator said, speaking mostly in Filipino.
‘In lawmaking, we will ramp up this program that enhances our bayanihan or sense of community. Neighbors will plant on their available lots and spaces for community gardens, and from this, they can all share in the nutritious produce.’
Under Pangilinan’s proposed measure, every barangay will be required to designate an area for community farming. Public schools, when there are available lots, will also be tasked to implement the program.
Currently, the program relies on administrative orders, but the senator pointed out how this would lead to inconsistencies in the program’s implementation across localities and whenever government policies shift.
‘This should not be a one-time project to fight hunger. It must be sustained, organized, and part of our national program for food security.’
If passed, the measure will mandate the Departments of Agriculture, the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Education (DepEd) to oversee the program.
Funding for it will also be sourced from the current budget of the three agencies. Appropriations for the program must subsequently be included in the annual national budget.
A long-time advocate of food security and rural development, the senator pointed out that household food insecurity continues to be a ‘serious concern,’ citing a 2023 Department of Science and Technology-Food Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) report that showed 31.4 percent of Filipino households were classified as moderately to severely food insecure.
The government’s current Gulayan sa Barangay at Paaralan Program has already covered 44,965 schools nationwide, the DepEd said, while 94 percent of public schools have active garden interventions.
The DILG likewise reported that over 4.3 million households were already planting fruits and vegetables through similar community-based initiatives.
Pangilinan said there is a need to invest government resources in critical programs that address food insecurity, saying that a truly just and progressive society will leave no Filipino hungry, malnourished, or stunted.
‘There is no true progress when there are families who go hungry and children who don’t mature properly because of stunting caused by lack of food. The true measure of success is when all of us have access to nutritious and affordable food.’