DSWD-7 allocates P204-M for tots in Central Visayas
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, July 12 (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is allocating P204,648,600 to feed more than 131,000 children in all towns and cities in Central Visayas through its Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) this year.
About 4,019 day care centers (DCCs) in the region are expected to benefit from this food supplementation in the form of hot meals served during break time, five times a week for 120 days.
This program provides food to children currently enrolled in DCCs in addition to their regular meals. It also covers children who are under the supervised neighborhood, which plays the part of DSWD’s contribution to the government’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) program.
With this supplemental food, it is expected the nutritional status, attendance rates, and learning achievements of the pre-elementary children will improve.
The parents will manage the feeding program based on a prepared cycle menu using indigenous food materials in their respective villages.
Other than the provision of hot meals, complementary activities like deworming, micronutrient supplementation, nutrition education, Sessions on Parent Effectiveness Service (PES), Pantawid Pamilya's Family Development Session (FDS), Pabasa sa Nutrition, and growth monitoring through monthly weighing and height taking will be undertaken.
Budget per meal is P13 per child per day. The P10 is intended for the purchase of the viand, while the P3 is set aside for the Iron-fortified rice. An I-rice cost P30 per kilo and can serve 10 children at a given time.
Of this amount, DSWD-7 pays P47 million directly to the National Food Authority (NFA) for the purchase of I-rice. The latter will also deliver the rice allocation to all local government units (LGUs) in Central Visayas.
Meanwhile, the more than P157 million budget for the viand will be transferred to all the 131 LGUs in the region for the procurement of indigenous viand available in their localities.
DSWD hopes to achieve a happy and healthy start for every child everyday as a public investment in the future. (HFG/DSWD7/PIA7)
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Village heads can suspend classes in extreme bad weather - DILG 7
By Fayette C. Ri�en
CEBU CITY, July 13 (PIA) -- With the onset of the rainy season and fears of landslides and flooding in risk areas, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 said barangay captains or village heads have the authority to suspend classes in cases of extreme weather disturbances but need to consult or inform the mayor first before calling for the suspension.
Assistant regional director Elias Fernandez of DILG 7 revealed that there is a memorandum on localized suspension of classes as the village chiefs are in the best position to determine how risky the weather situation is that might result to landslides or flooding and endanger the lives of schoolchildren.
But Fernandez said barangay captains must first consult with the mayor if he believes the suspension of classes is necessary.
In times of typhoons, Fernandez said the local chief executives can declare a suspension of classes. In signal number 1, preschool classes are automatically cancelled, and in signal number 2, classes are suspended from pre-school to high school level while signal number 3, classes are automatically suspended from pre-school to college including work in government offices.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 7 regional director Minda Morante agreed that it is the judgment call of the barangay captains to recommend to the mayors the suspension of classes.
Morante said it is very important for mayors to make use of the geohazard mapping to determine which towns are at risk to flooding and landslides.
“The geohazard mapping is very important for the local government units to plan for contingency measures,” said Morante.
Emil Al Berador, chief geologist of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 said the geohazard maps at 1:50,000 scale has already been given to the LGUs for their reference.
Berador said they are starting to prepare a more detailed geohazard and assessment mapping at 1:10,000 scale which they hoped to complete by 2014. (FCR-PIA7, Cebu)