QC allots P2.5 M to improve students’ hygiene

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City government has allocated P2.5 million to improve the personal hygiene of the city’s public school children.

The money will be spent on improving water and sanitation facilities in schools and providing personal hygiene kits to students enrolled in the program.

“Based on a study conducted by the Department of Education, the prevalence of hygiene deficiency-related diseases among schoolchildren enrolled in public schools is often due largely to lack of water and functional sanitary facilities,” the city government said in a statement.

The city government added that 100,000 children have been enrolled in the program, representing half of the local government’s target.

The enrollees were given a health care package consisting of, among others, a deworming tablet, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and hand soap.

The deworming tablet, according to the city government, “could prove vital in ensuring the health and wellness of schoolchildren against hygiene-deficiency diseases such as diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, tooth decay and parasitism.”

Aside from allocating budget, the city government will also team up with non-government group Fit For School, Inc.

Mayor Herbert Bautista signed a memorandum of agreement with the group to seal the partnership. Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, for her part, committed to implement the same program among daycare students.