500 first graders in N. Ecija get carabao’s milk

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Some 500 grade one pupils from six public schools in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija will receive carabao’s milk daily through the end of the school year.

In a report here, the San Jose City government and the Department of Education (DepEd) city schools division recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) for milk supply to selected recipients in public elementary and integrated schools in Barangays Villa Marina (32 pupils), Abar 2nd (90), Calaocan (42), FE Marcos (276),  Sto. Niño 1st (49) and Tabulac (11).

The program, which goes beyond the so-called supplemental feeding, is a big boost to uplifting the children’s nutrition, according to San Jose City Mayor Mario Salvador.

“With this program, they will be able to monitor if the pupils are improving in their health and in their studies,” Salvador said, referring to the PCC, which has already identified some undernourished pupils as its primary recipients.

Under the agreement, the PCC, the nation’s primary agency in carabao and dairy production based at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in the Science City of Muñoz, will deliver 102,000 sachets of 200 milliliters of pasteurized carabao’s milk for 204 feeding days or until the school year ends.

The delivery cost, which amounts to P1,224,000, will be shouldered by the city government of San Jose.

The milk will be delivered from the PCC straight to the schools to ensure quality after release.

The DepEd shall be responsible for any cost in reporting and documentation.

PCC executive director Arnel del Barrio said they initially wanted to provide milk only to malnourished children, but decided to expand the program to include nourished ones.

“We have decided to expand the program so that the malnourished will become healthy and the healthy will have sharper minds and become smarter,” he said.

The PCC, he said, produces enough milk with over 25,000 carabaos scattered all over Nueva Ecija.