Luistro said they are discussing the possible revival of the FSP with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) on how to proceed with the program. “We will still talk about the program. The new player here is the Agriculture Department because we have been working with DSWD already,” Luistro said.

DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman earlier said that the Aquino administration is reviewing the program implemented first by the previous administration due to alleged leakages in the distribution of rice supplies to beneficiaries.

The FSP was launched in 2004 by the DepEd under the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation plan to arrest the hunger incidence and malnutrition among school children in poor areas in the country.

Under the program Grade 1 pupils receive a daily ration of one kilo of fortified rice everyday for 95 school days from the National Food Authority (NFA) as subsidy to families.

The DepEd said the program improved school attendance, academic performance and retention rate of the school children.