'Gulayan ng Masa' program benefits far-flung barangays, schools
More than 10,000 barangays and over 2,000 schools have benefited from the Gulayan ng Masa Program in Western Visayas, as of date.
The Department of Education (DepEd) region 6 reported that the program has reached a total of 10, 535 households in the province of Antique, which is a top priority in the program.
On the other hand, Gulayan has also benefited 476 schools in Antique, 95 in Aklan, 422 in Capiz, 205 in Iloilo and 196 in Negros Occidental.
The program has distributed a total of 65,030 grams of vegetable seeds in Antique, 15,147 grams in Aklan, 35,336 grams in Iloilo, 30, 867 grams in Negros Occidental.
These vegetable seeds planted in the barangay communal gardens or in the households, and in school gardens consisted of ampalaya, eggplant, okra, squash, pole sitao, and kangkong, in addition to bags of organic fertilizers given them.
Regional Nutrition Coordinator Nona Tad-y said, the Gulayan ng Masa program had augmented the vegetable needs of families for better nutrition and had assured the schools of sources of vegetables for school cafeteria and for the needs of school children's families without gardens.
Other recipients of the vegetables and organic fertilizers are military camps, police stations, some churches and orphanages.
Meanwhile the Gulayan sa Paaralan program has conducted a Training of Trainors on Organic Vegetable Production, as well as embarked on a Search for Best Garden among schools implementing the program and has pursued the planting of at least 50 malungay trees in school and community based on DepEd memo No. 234. (PIA 6)