Three out of 10 children, ages 0 to five years old, in the Philippines are suffering from chronic malnutrition and are underweight, under height and stunted in growth. This is according to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute.

This is also the problem which Hapag-Asa, a flagship project of the Pondo ng Pinoy Community Foundation headed by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales and the Assisi Development Foundation, hopes to significantly address.

The Hapag-Asa Program aims to alleviate extreme hunger among poor Filipino children. Its four major components: supplemental feeding, health education, spiritual formation and livelihood.

Since it was launched in late 2005, Hapag-Asa, has “graduated” 6,000 malnourished children and currently enrols 65,000 undernourished children in 37 dioceses nationwide.

As they say, the life of this program is its volunteers.

Some applicants of the UP Chinese Student Association went there yesterday to volunteer and feed these children.

I got this post from Shari of Misteryosa.

University of the Philippines System (UP System) goes Smoke Free!

That?s protection from Second Hand Smoke to over 51,500 students, 4,000 faculty and 7900 administrative personnel (and countless guests and visitors) in at least 7 constituent universities located in 12 campuses across the country. This protection also extends to the Philippine General Hospital, the largest public hospital in the Philippines, which has adopted its own smoke-free policies a few years ago.

According to Professor Marvic Leonen, Vice President for Legal Affairs of the UP System, the Administrative Order (AO) for Smoke Free UP was passed 2 days ago following unanimous vote. Students caught in violation of this order will be subjected to disciplinary action. Chancellors are given very stern instructions to implement the said AO.

As you may know, our laws require smoking ban in schools, however, because of the usual enforcement issues, this is not implemented in many universities. This policy is particularly difficult to implement in UP because of the sheer size of its land area and the fact that private residences and local communities are housed inside the big campuses. But with this AO, we have renewed hope that a smoke free UP is possible.

Congratulations to UP and thank you, Professor Marvic Leonen, for giving us a Smoke Free UP!

Let?s support UP?s smoke free initiatives in any way we can. The successes in UP provides the groundwork for a nationwide smoke free campaign! 

My first reaction to this is “YES! WAY TO GO U.P.!” I hate smoking. I hate how smokers can be so inconsiderate of people who do not smoke. Last, but definitely not the least, I hate the smoke emitted by cigarettes.

I hope this AO (if it’s true in the first place) wouldn’t go to waste. I hope UP Diliman has the guts to successfully implement this.

Though, yes, I understand that smokers cannot quit just like that. Let’s give them time? And then, let’s have a full-blown implementation!

What do you guys think?