PARENTS express alarm over the impact of the 4.5 percent inflation rate – which is the highest in the last five years – to the prices of school supplies and student meals due to the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law (TRAIN) law. The inflation is causing a price shock among students returning to school.
Women and schoolchildren, the most vulnerable sectors in our society, shoulder the effects. The rising prices of commodities like food and now, school supplies, directly hurt children. The usual P10 to P20 allowance of a pupil coming from a family with an average income of P512 a day will become almost useless.
Previously, students could still afford to buy cupcakes and tetra packed juice to survive a whole day of class. It might be a different scenario as they return to school this month. Their daily allowance might not even compensate the cost of transportation as transport groups demand fare hikes due to soaring fuel costs.
It is also feared that the rate of hunger and malnourishment among poor families will increase. According to Inter-Agency Regional Analyst Network and the Action Against Hunger, poor nutrition remains a major problem in the Philippines with 3.4 million children found to be stunted and over 300,000 underweight – all under five years old.
At least one in every three Filipino children is malnourished. With the effects of the TRAIN Law on basic commodities, this number is expected to rise in the coming months.
Several researches also show the connection between malnutrition and poor academic performance. Who can expect the children to do well in school if they can’t even eat three times a day?
