OUR RECENT article, ?Nutrition Before Education,? has gotten a lot of positive feedback, indicating that readers agree that malnutrition must be addressed before kids can be educated, because it tragically limits what they can learn.

In this regard, we?re happy to share that the Department of Education is planning to revive its ?Food for School? program, in cooperation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Agriculture. The program should be revived, because it improves school attendance, performance in class, and pupils? ability to retain information.

Reacting to our recent piece on going without TV for one whole week abroad, our revered mentor from way back, Armando ?Balty? Baltazar, says he fully empathized with our notes on the TV people we didn?t miss, and in fact were glad not to get ticked off by during our self-imposed ?vacation? from television.

Paging Dr. Bernal

Some TV people, reacting to our piece on mistakes people make on TV, have asked us for more information on the ?Dr. Bernal? we cited as a great speaker whom we should all emulate.

Do they want to hire him as a coach or give him his own show? They really should, because he could teach all of us valuable lessons on how to speak correctly, clearly, and interestingly?on TV and off.

However, we failed to catch the good doctor?s first name when he guested on a local medical show (was it ?Talk to Doc??)?so, we?re asking our TV colleagues to provide more information about the quintessential public speaker and TV program guest, who spoke so much better than most of us do that he could be cited as the perfect role model for people who ?dare? to appear on television.

Some students want us to give them tips on how they can have successful and rewarding careers on TV news and public affairs programs.

Our first tip: You should be among the best and the brightest in your school, because (contrary to the evidence sometimes embarrassingly evident on the TV screen) news and public affairs is challenging, complex and demanding, and only the best people should be in it.

Yes, you should also look and sound good, but that?s a relatively minor qualification. Above all, you should realize that it?s a huge privilege and responsibility to serve the informational needs of thousands and sometimes even millions of viewers. That?s why you should be good and committed enough to play your best game each and every day you appear on television.

You point out that many of the people currently on TV, including some veteran ?awardees,? fail to pass muster in this regard? All the more reason, then, for them to belatedly see the light of day?or, failing that (because you can?t teach some doggone dogs new tricks), that?s why we need new, outstanding and committed broadcast news people to step into the breach and fill in those blankety-blanks!