The Department of Education (DepEd) on Sunday expressed optimism that the interventions it is doing will help reduce the number of undernourished students feared to reach more than 20 percent or more than 2 million this school year.

This was disclosed by Magdalene Portia Cariaga of the DepEd’s Health and Nutrition Service during a media forum in Sampaloc, Manila.

Last year Cariaga said the DepEd recorded that the undernourished children in public schools reached 17 percent or about 2 million. She, however, did not say if the number covers both elementary and high-school students.

Cariaga expressed hope that the programs of DepEd like the Food for School Program will help reduce the number this school year.

“We expect that the 17-percent incidence of undernutrition will reach even 20 percent to 22 percent, and that is why we are doing some interventions,” Cariaga said in an interview.

She said the distribution of “Wonder bread,” which was also launched during the forum, will also help nourish children.

Wonder bread is made of camote and squash flour.

Nelson Chavez, an architect-turned- baker, said he uses camote and squash flour in cakes, pan de sal and other bread that his bakery is selling.

Chavez said the camote and squash flour is cheaper than wheat flour.

Cariaga said the department will promote the use of alternative flours in public schools because these are nutritious. Other alternative flours come from coconut and malunggay.

“By 2015 the department expects that the number of undernourished students will increase to 30 percent of the public-school students, and we really want to prevent that,” she said.

Cariaga noted that the number of undernourished children increase during summer season “for this is the time that children experience hunger.”

She added that most number of under-nourished students, without giving the exact figures, are in the Visayas.

Group hits exemption of Ayalas’ Calatagan estate from CARP

A MILITANT group has questioned the exemption of a 10,000-hectare sugar estate of the family of businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala from the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), saying such is a lucid testimony to the failure of the 20-year-old program.

A MILITANT legislator said the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is just one factor in the power-rate increase even as he blamed the bulk of the problem to the supply contracts signed by the government-owned National Power Corp. with independent power producers.

EDUCATION Secretary Jesli Lapus reminded public-school administrators on Sunday of the department’s no-collection policy from students enrolling in their schools.

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Sunday expressed optimism that the interventions it is doing will help reduce the number of undernourished students feared to reach more than 20 percent or more than 2 million this school year.

THE Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (Owwa) has suspended its predeparture-loan program for migrant workers after incurring losses amounting to P70 million.

Robert Swift, the lead American lawyer of the 9,539 victims of martial law, will be in the country this week to meet with the leaders of the victims, to discuss the possibility of entering into a compromise agreement with the government regarding Marcos assets reaching $100 million but under litigations in US and Singapore courts in the last ten years.

THE recently concluded National Police Chief Cup shooting tournament in Clark Field, Pampanga, was able to raise P2 million, which will go to the Pulis Gawad Kalinga Special Housing Project for policemen.