By Venus May H. Sarmiento
PIA-Pangasinan

SAN FABIAN – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is keen on fighting malnutrition and boosting the education program in the country by giving one kilo of rice every day for one year to students and their families as well as irrigation pumps to farmers.

Speaking at the San Fabian East Central Elementary School here, Wednesday, the president vowed to give priority to the problem of malnutrition and further improve education in the country.

She said there are some “300,000 very hungry families” all over the country and the government tries to reach out to them through the young students in schools.

“The program we have done before is breakfast feeding which costs the government P20 a day per child. Now, with that same amount, we can give rice to the children in school and his whole family will benefit from it,” the President announced.

Arroyo reported in an open speech at the school grounds here that when the program started, more students were found attending classes and lesser number of drop-outs was noted.

The President announced that aside from the P500 million she ordered released by the Department of Budget and Management last week to close the ‘grade school classroom gap’, she has ordered the release of another P500 million for DepEd school programs.

While here, she visited the school feeding program for elementary pupils and awarded 123 NIA irrigation pumps and land titles (free patent) to farmers in San Fabian and Mangaldan and San Jacinto towns.

The President was accompanied by House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr and wife Gina, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez, Rep. Generoso Tulagan of the third district, and DepEd Regional Director Vilma Labrador

They were welcomed by Governor Victor Agbayani, Vice Governor Oscar Lambino and San Fabian Mayor Mojamito Libunao. (PIA Pangasinan)