De Lima urges Senate review on sanitation, hygiene issues in public schools

Detained Senator Leila De Lima is calling on her fellow senators to address the longstanding hygiene and sanitation issues in public schools as she urged for a review of the implementation of Presidential Decree No. 856, also known as "Code on Sanitation of the Philippines."

In filing Resolution No. 950 urging the appropriate Senate committee for a probe on the order, De Lima claimed poor sanitation in public schools may not only put the health of students at risk but also negatively impact their performances in classes.

"The deplorable hygiene and sanitation have been a long-standing problem and issue in the country and yet solutions to this still seems far-fetched," the senator said, as she emphasized the need to further strengthen existing laws on sanitation through legislations.

"There is an utmost need to conduct a re-assessment of the implementation and level of compliance of public schools regarding P.D. 856 considering that it has been 43 years since its implementation," she added.

De Lima cited data in 2016 that around 3,628 public elementary and secondary schools in the country have no regular access to safe and clean water.

The senator also recalled an incident in August 2017 when over 100 students from Sta. Lucia High School in Novaliches were rushed to different hospitals after experiencing symptoms of food poisoning.

She added a similar incident in Makati City in 2016 where over 100 students were rushed to the health center after eating snacks bought from their school canteen.

De Lima, who serves as chair of the Senate Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development Committee, cited a Commission on Audit report that found that PD 586 was not being strictly enforced in schools in Region 10 and that there was an apparent lack of accessible water and sanitation facilities.

"Such poor hygiene and sanitation facilities, especially in learning environments like the school, are detrimental to the lives and health of the Filipino youth and failure of the government to provide one of the basic necessities in life constitutes a grave moral deficiency and reckless disregard for their lives and safety," De Lima said. — Jamil Santos/MDM, GMA News