Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno bared his plan to revive the famous ‘Nutribun’ program in his jurisdiction as part of his feeding program.
Aside from giving Nutribun, Moreno said that he’s also considering giving free milk to all students of kindergarten from Grade 6.
According to Moreno, he wanted the program to push thru because he also experienced going to school hungry because of being poor.
Moreno is a former garbage collector before being discovered by a talent scout that urged him to become an actor.
“Marami sa mga mag-aaral natin na pumapasok sa paaralan na walang laman ang tiyan at gutom, dala na rin siguro ng hirap ng buhay. Alam ko po ang pakiramdam na iyon sapagkat isa rin po ako sa mga batang pumapasok na walang laman ang tiyan,” he said.
“Kaya po ang pangarap natin sa lungsod ng Maynila ay maibalik ang nutribun at gatas sa loob ng paaralan,” he added.
The Mayor said that the P4.3-B cash deficit of Manila City would not stop him from looking for another source of funds for his feeding program.
“Gagawan natin ‘yan ng pondo para maisakatuparan ‘yung commitment natin to address malnutrition for elementary students,” he said.
The revival of the program would help thousands of kids who don’t have enough money to feed themselves.
Nutribun usage reached its peak during the 1970s after the Marcos administration tried to address the increasing rate of malnutrition in the country.
The government took over the production of the bread in 1975 which originally came from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
The said program was considered as a success after the rate of malnutrition in the Philippines fell drastically.