The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 1 (Ilocos Region) is set to implement its supplementary feeding program targeting 93,422 undernourished children across the region.
Naressa Garvida–Aguinaldo, unit head of the Regional Supplementary Feeding Program, confirmed this on Thursday, saying that based on DSWD Secretary Rex Gachalian’s advice, the nationwide rollout is scheduled for June and will conclude by year’s end.
Aguinaldo said the target beneficiaries for nutritious hot meals are those enrolled in the 3,590 Child Development Centers, and the 21 Supervised Neighborhood Play centers run by local government units in the region.
Out of the 93,422 targets, 9,562 are from Ilocos Norte, 13,431 from Ilocos Sur, 15,083 from La Union, and 55,346 from Pangasinan.
“Aside from hot meals, there will also be a milk feeding allocation in areas with the most undernourished children,” Aguinaldo added.
Among the four provinces in the region, the milk feeding program will focus on Pangasinan considering the nutritional status of day care children from last year.
According to the DSWD, more than PHP280 million has already been disbursed to the local government units (LGUs) for the purchase of raw materials essential to the supplementary feeding program, including alternative food supplies such as nutribun, nutripacks and other nutritious products developed by the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
The feeding program is one of the programs implemented by the department under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and in coordination with LGUs to improve children’s nutrition and health nationwide.
The program provides nutritious meals to children aged two to five using indigenous or locally produced food, equivalent to one-third of the recommended energy and nutrient intake.
The children-beneficiaries will receive at least one fortified meal for 120 days each year as part of the DSWD’s contribution to the Early Childhood Care and Development program of the national government and to Republic Act No. 11037, or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act. (PNA)
