Two senatorial hopefuls aligned with the current administration are proposing key reforms in the education sector—one focusing on nutrition, the other on access to higher learning.
Makati City Mayor and senatorial aspirant Abby Binay on Monday emphasized the urgency of addressing malnutrition among students by providing free, healthy meals in schools.
“Napaka-importante ng wastong nutrisyon para makapag-aral nang mabuti ang mga estudyante,” Binay said. “Kahit anong galing magturo ng kanilang mga guro at kahit may sapat silang kagamitan sa pag-aaral, mahihirapan silang ma-absorb ang mga leksyon kung nagugutom sila at kulang sa nutrisyon.”
Binay said the government should prioritize health and nutrition before spending on devices like tablets or building modern school facilities. “Unahin natin ang kalusugan ng ating mga kabataan bago pa man tayo mamigay ng mga tablet o computer,” she stressed.
She proposed a nationwide program similar to Makati’s Project FEED, which offers free nutritious snacks to public elementary school students. Binay added that solving malnutrition would require cooperation from local and national governments, as well as the private sector.
Meanwhile, former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is seeking a return to the Senate and has vowed to revisit the Free Tertiary Education Act to make its requirements more accessible.
“We will revisit the Free Tertiary Education Act and streamline it if needed,” Lacson said, noting reports that too many requirements have discouraged applicants. “If the information is true that many requirements are imposed on applicants, it indicates the program does not want beneficiaries.”
Lacson said the law’s spirit was to provide simple access to education, but the implementation may be unnecessarily complex. While he is open to revising the law, Lacson emphasized that qualifying exams must remain competitive to prevent abuse.
“If they become beneficiaries through that route, they are likely to keep failing because they are not motivated to study well,” he warned.
