DAVAO City Councilor Rachel Zozobrado is seeking to revisit her proposed ordinance banning junk food in schools and their immediate vicinity.
During the third regular session of the 21st City Council on Tuesday morning, July 16, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod, Zozobrado delivered her privilege speech, stating that she first raised this motion in 2010 when she served as chairperson of the committee on education.
The proposed ordinance aimed to prohibit the sale of junk food within school campuses and a 100-meter radius outside the schools.
She emphasized that the ordinance was intended to ensure that food sold in and around schools meets the nutritional needs of elementary and secondary students.
However, despite gaining strong support from parents, schools, and the Department of Education (DepEd), the ordinance faced numerous oppositions.
This time, Zozobrado said, the ordinance will include stronger food policies and regulations, such as Front-of-Package Nutrition Labelling, to provide clear and transparent nutritional information to parents and consumers.
She believes this will help Dabawenyos, especially children, make informed choices and reduce their exposure to unhealthy food products.
She emphasized the need to create a city-wide environment where nutritious food options are easily accessible to every child and resident.
Unlike the previous proposal, Zozobrado now aims to implement the ordinance across the entire city.
She also highlighted the importance of regulating the marketing and sale of unhealthy foods and junk food in and around schools. The ordinance will promote healthy food procurement and ensure the provision of nutritious meals both inside and outside school premises.
Zozobrado said that penalties would be necessary for the ordinance’s future implementation. However, the responsible monitoring agency has yet to be determined.
She is also considering the creation of a dedicated council for monitoring, if necessary. She then moved that her proposal be considered for first reading.
"I know it is a tall order but we can always start the first step diba, so dili lang siya sa [this not only in] schools but the entire Davao City, of course, the focus on the schools restricting the access to junk foods," she said.
To recall, in 2024, the Davao Region recorded a slight increase in both undernutrition and overnutrition, according to the latest Nutrition Situation Report. The prevalence of underweight children rose to 2.95 percent (from 2.8 percent in 2023), stunting increased to 1.53 percent (from 1.4 percent), and overnutrition rose to 5.86 percent (from 5.2 percent). Wasting slightly declined from 0.8 percent to 0.78 percent.
Davao City had a stunting rate of 6.40 percent, second only to Davao Occidental at 15.2 percent. The city also ranked second in underweight prevalence (3.19 percent), fourth in wasting prevalence (0.62 percent), and fifth in overweight and obesity prevalence (1.36 percent) in the region. RGP
