A LAWMAKER is pushing an ordinance institutionalizing minute water breaks in public and private schools to ensure that students stay hydrated.
Councilor Jessica Bonguyan, who chairs the committee on games and amusements, shared on Tuesday’s Aprubado sa Konseho that the ordinance is scheduled for a second reading.
“Promoting healthy hydration habits at a young age can have long-lasting effects on children’s overall health and well-being. By instilling the importance of staying hydrated, we are helping them develop habits they can carry into adulthood,” the resolution reads.
The ordinance requires daily observance of water break time before the start of the second subject and the end of the last subject.
However, students can still drink water any time provided they will not disrupt ongoing classes.
School administrators are mandated to implement the ordinance and coordinate with the Parent-Teacher Association. They are required to ensure students’ accessibility to water and ensure the potability of water sold in schools to be accredited by the Department of Health.
Informational materials with an inscription detailing “A Minute Water-Break” must be posted in visible places on the school premises.
The parents are urged to ensure their children have sufficient drinking water in containers. The use of single-use plastic is discouraged.
The City Health Office (CHO) is mandated to conduct periodic monitoring in schools to ensure the water quality provided to students underwent accredited laboratories.
Representatives from the CHO, the Department of Education (DepEd XI), the Davao Association of Catholic Schools, and the City Social Welfare and Development Office supported the passage of the ordinance.
Allan Farnazo, DepEd XI regional director manifested, during one of the committee hearings, that they are crafting a Memorandum of Agreement with the DOH, SPMC, and city government relative to integrating all health programs for schools in the city.
“Ang heat stroke walay gina-pili, matigulang man o ma- bata so mao nang gibuhatan nato ni og ordinansya tungod sa init nga panahon, simple lang ni pero it will give a big impact to the health of the children,” Bonguyan said.
