By Restituto Cayubit
LAVEZARES, Northern Samar - The government spent more than P20.9 million for the supplemental feeding program (SFP) in this town, a report from the Lavezares Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office said here today.
Mesalina L. Dulfo, Lavezares Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer, told Manila Bulletin from 2011 to 2018 the SFP of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) spent a total of P20,959,500.
Dulfo reported that for the period, there were 12,716 day care children served by the program in the town’s 36 child development centers. She added that there were 6,750 parents from 26 day care parents organizations who participated in the implementation of the program.
Based on records of the DSWD Field Office 8 in Tacloban City, Lavezares is among the 10 municipalities in Northern Samar with a high malnutrition rate among children.
It is one of the top five municipalities in Eastern Visayas that continuously implements the feeding program since it was implemented by the government in 2011.
Dulfo said the program helps reduce the malnutrition problem in her town. “Supplemental feeding program is the great factor in minimizing malnutrition problem in the municipality of Lavezares since it helps lessen the burden of the parents thru eating nutritious food,” she said.
Ninety percent of the day care children beneficiaries have improved their nutritional and health status.
“Supplemental feeding program should be continuously implemented in the municipality in order to sustain/maintain the normal nutritional status of the children,” she said.
Lavezares, a 4th class municipality, has 26 barangays. It has a total land area of 119.50 square kilometers and a population of 28,770 according to the 2015 census.