MikeLigalig.com

The Dumaguete city government and a foundation funded by the United States government will launch a six-month milk-feeding program for underweight and malnourished children.

Online news site Visayan Daily Star (www.visayandailystar.com) reported the program, which will cover at least 25 villages in the central Philippine city, is due for launching late this month.

The city government and the Land O'Lakes Foundation Philippines Inc. funded by the US government are the main proponents of the program.

Land O'Lakes country manager Qazi Yawar Naeem is expected to go to Dumaguete for the launching program, the report said.

Dumaguete City nutrition program coordinator Lourdes Taburaza said the program intends to help malnourished children in 25 out of 30 identified village in the city.

Expected to avail of the program are 701 pre-school children who were identified during "Operation Timbang" conducted by barangay nutrition scholars in September last year.

Also included as beneficiaries are 632 Grades 1 and 2 and selected Grade 3 pupils in 15 public elementary schools of the city.

They will receive one pack of fresh milk a day, excluding Saturdays and Sundays, or a total of 6,665 packs of fresh milk in six weeks.

Under the program, the city government will allocate P1 million for the project.

Late last year, 47 cows from New Zealand were shipped through Land O'Lakes for distribution to local government units in the Metro Dumaguete area. - GMANews.tv