Congress urged to prioritize bills on milk feeding program

A 10-point resolution in support of milk feeding programs and pending legislative measures pertaining to such undertakings was unanimously passed during the First National Milk Feeding Conference (NMFC) held Oct. 2-3 under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Milk Feeding Committee (IMFC).

The IMFC is composed of the National Dairy Authority and National Nutrition Council (Department of Agriculture), Health and Nutrition Center (Department of Education), Bureau of Food and Drugs (Department of Health), and Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services Unit (Department of Social Welfare and Development).

Agriculture Secretary Luis P. Lorenzo Jr., NDA chairperson, was the guest of honor and keynote speaker during the opening program.

Anchored on the theme "Milk Toast for a Better Nation", the gathering was attended by over 200 representatives from government agencies, non-government organizations, local government units, socio-civic clubs and other entities involved in milk feeding.

Topping the resolution is a call to members of Congress to prioritize bills supportive of the milk feeding program.

The participants further declared that the milk feeding bills that deserve to be supported are those whose provisions ensure that: a) the MFP will be undertaken in areas where malnutrition is most severe as determined by the IMFC; b) the MFP shall cover pre-school (2-6 years old) and school children; c) the MFP will be implemented for at least 120 days, five times a week; d) the MFP shall utilize milk produced by local dairy farmers and cooperatives; e) the NMFP shall have an initial funding of P100 million, which, every year thereafter shall be augmented with funds from the annual tax collections of the National Government derived from the importation of dairy products, equipment and implements; and f) cost-sharing of MFPS is encouraged between public and private organizations, with the funds to be deposited under the Milk Trust Fund.

The two-day conference featured, among others, presentations on the milk feeding experiences of the Rotary Club of New Manila-East, the local governments of Zamboanga del Norte and Los Baños, Laguna, Occidental Leyte Dairy Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative (OLDAPRIMCO), Tulong Multi-Purpose Cooperative and Land O’Lakes-Philippines.

Updates on pending milk feeding bills in the Congress were also provided. Rep. J.R. Nereus O. Acosta (1st District, Bukidnon) personally discussed House Bill No. 1403, which he authored. Representatives of Sen. Ramon B. Magsaysay Jr., Sen. Edgardo J. Angara, Sen. Teresa Aquino-Oreta and Cong. Edmundo O. Reyes (Lone District, Marinduque) talked about the measures authored by these legislators, namely, Senate Bill No. 1498, Senate Bill No. 1337, Senate Bill No. 2242, and House Bill No. 5666.