DepEd orders malunggay planting in schools

MANILA, Philippines - Public school officials nationwide are now required to encourage students to plant horseradish – malunggay in Filipino – as part science classes or school community outreach projects, according to a Department of Education announcement on Monday. "Planting malunggay trees will translate to huge savings not only for the department but for the families of students," Lapus in DepEd Order No. 234, which he issued as part of an agreement between his office and the Department of Agriculture. Last year, the DepEd launched its Gulayan sa Paaralan (Vegetable Gardening in Schools) project to promote food security in schools and communities. But why malunggay? "Malunggay is the subject of interest in many researches and studies due to its nutritional benefits and its versatility as a plant, according to Thelma Santos, director of the DepEd Health and and Nutrition Center. Malunggay is known to cure beriberi, which is caused by deficiency in vitamin B1, and rickets, caused by a lack of vitamin D and calcium. The scientific name of horseradish is Moringa oleifera Lamk. It originated in India and is widely consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. Dishes with malunggay will also help lessen undernourished public school students, according to Magdalene Portia, also an officer at the DepEd Health and Nutrition Center. Earlier, Cariaga cited DepEd statistics showing two millions students as undernourished, or about 17 percent of the total student population. The percentage is expected to increase to more than 20 percent this school opening. "We are thinking of innovative means that we can implement in school like teaching teachers on how to make bread made of flour that came from malunggay, camote, squash, and coconut," Cariaga said. Cariaga noted that products made out of the alternative flour are nutritious and low in cost and easy to prepare. Its many uses include cropping, animal feeds and is also tapped for biogas and diesel production. It is used as a domestic cleaning agent and fertilizer. Its leaves are an outstanding source of Vitamins A, B1, and C, Calcium, Potassium, and Iron. Under its School Nutrition Program, DepEd has also been providing full-cream choco milk, iron-fortified noodles, and biscuits to targeted public schools nationwide. Lapus emphasized that "this initiative will ultimately teach our children the usefulness of this 'miracle vegetable' whose benefits outdo those of commercialized vitamins and medicines." - GMANews.TV