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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Monday, January 23, 2017
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MANILA – Sen. Ralph Recto has directed the Department of Health and Department of Education to put an end to “waterless schools.”
Their “determined collaboration” in the planned condom distribution is also needed in public elementary schools lacking access to water, the senate minority leader said.
According to him, about 5 million Filipino children are affected due to lack of water facilities.
Education department data show that 11,737 of the 46,739 schools across the country are currently waterless.
The report also said the number of schools without reliable water source stood at 3,628, while 8,109 schools relied on rainwater catchment.
“If we’re going to give away condoms, then let us also provide clean drinking water to millions of schoolchildren,” Recto stressed.
He lamented, “With lack of water comes the problem of sanitation facilities. There is a toilet shortage in all schools and you don’t need statistics to back that claim.”
Government has also been pressed to treat water as a basic and important education source.
Recto, citing a report that 60 percent of schoolchildren have intenstinal worms, said the availability of water impacts not only on the health of students but also school-based nutrition programs.
“Paano ka magluluto kung wala kang tubig? Basic yan. Ngayon pa naman na malawak na ang ating schoolfeeding program,” he said, referring to the state-funded school feeding program./PN
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