Milk supplemental feeding program to benefit 2,240 malnourished kids in Iloilo
The province's milk supplemental feeding program is expected to benefit some 2,240 out of the 2,963 identified malnourished day care center children in Iloilo.
The program, dubbed "Batang Ilonggo Palangga Ka" (BIP Ka), was conceptualized to rehabilitate malnourished pre-school children in the province.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan, during its special session Friday, passed a resolution authorizing Governor Niel Tupas Sr. to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the National Dairy Authority (NDA) and the Iloilo Federation of Dairy Cooperatives relative to the implementation of the program upon the recommendation of Provincial Health Officer I Dr. Patricia Grace Trabado.
The agreement provides that the province of Iloilo and the municipality where the day care children reside will each provide a 25-percent share for the funds needed or equivalent to P571,200 each while the NDA will shell out 50 percent.
The money will be used to purchase fresh milk which will be supplied to the malnourished children through the nutrition and barangay health workers.
Each child will receive 180 ml of fresh milk everyday for 120 days.
Trabado said the fund is only enough to accommodate 2,240 children thus the slots will just be equally divided among the 42 municipalities and one component city.
The slots for the local government unit that could not come up with the required counterpart fund will be given to other areas that are willing to shell out the corresponding amount.
The program will be launched by the provincial government on December 5. (PNA)