PIA 2005/10/25

Iloilo City (25 October) -- Some 15 pre-schoolers out of the more than three hundred targeted beneficiaries coming from the three municipalities of this province attended the launching ceremony of the National Supplemental Feeding Program held at the Provincial Capitol lobby yesterday (October 24).

The program is under the National Pre-School Education Program being implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Education (DepEd).

DSWD VI Regional Director Teresita Rosales said a P2 million budget was allotted for the implementation of the program in the 18 identified municipalities in the region. For Iloilo, the pilot areas are the municipalities of Cabatuan, Leon and Tubungan with P167,000 budget each.

Rosales said through this program attention will be given to the nutritional status of pre-school children that will serve as preparation for their entry to formal education or grade school. It is also expected that this will contribute to the targets of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) such as reducing the number of underweight 0 to 5 years old children by 2015.

Under the program targeted pre-school children will be provided with appropriate food supplement that give at least one-third of the daily Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake (RENI) for 120 days.

The children will be served with fresh milk and pandesal and hot meal alternately during the 5-day school period. The Parent Committees of the identified day care centers are tasked to manage the supplemental feeding.

In Iloilo, a total of 13 barangays from the three municipalities are covered by this program with 3 barangays in Cabatuan and 5 each in Leon and Tubungan. These barangays include Brgys. Takdangan, Tuy-an and Manguna in Cabatuan; Brgys. Agboy Norte, Agboy Sur, Talawan, Omamboy, Sitio Miac-ac in Leon; and Brgys.Buenavista, Ingay, Victoria, Singon and Daga-ay in Tubungan.

In her message, Rosales encouraged the participation of the other sectors to support the program. She said this is to give other children access to this program.

The launching activity was also attended by Governor Niel Tupas and his wife, Myrna Tupas, Cabatuan Mayor Ramon Yee, Provincial Administrator Manuel Mejorada, PSWDO Neneth Pador and other capitol department heads, concerned Municipal Social Welfare Development Officers, parents and beneficiaries. The activity coincided with the celebration of the Children's Month this October via Presidential Proclamation No. 267. "Bright Child: Yaman ng Magulang, Lakas ng Bayan"is the theme of this year's celebration. (PIA)