The venture backed by taipan Lucio Tan’s Asia Brewery and Spain’s Calidad Pascual will provide daily milk servings to 500 students from kindergarten to Grade 6 at Malitlit Elementary School in Sta. Rosa, Laguna for 100 days beginning in September.
The initiative comes as studies show that about 94 percent of Filipino children are calcium deficient, underscoring the need for sustained nutrition interventions during the early school years.
A model for others
For the National Dairy Authority, the partnership represents a test case for attracting more companies into government-led nutrition programs while creating demand for locally produced milk.
“What’s happening now is just the beginning. This program is just the start. We can expand the market for our dairy farmers through this initiative because almost everybody benefits from it, including local governments, the national government and the private sector,” National Dairy Authority administrator Marcus Antonius T. Andaya said.
Andaya said the agency plans to continue engaging other corporations and hopes the initiative can serve as a model for future partnerships.
Government joins forces
The program brings together ABI Pascual Foods, the National Dairy Authority led by Andaya, the Department of Education and the Sta. Rosa city government under Mayor Arlene Arcillas in a public-private partnership aimed at improving child nutrition.
The 100-day initiative will allow participating agencies to assess improvements in students’ growth and nutritional status over time.
Beyond the classroom
ABI Pascual Foods said the effort is also designed to support the domestic dairy sector by creating more stable demand for locally produced milk.
The initiative links nutrition programs with agricultural development, creating additional opportunities for Filipino dairy farmers.
Playing the long game
“This program is about building a system that supports Filipino children’s nutrition in a sustained way,” said tycoon Michael G. Tan, board member of ABI Pascual Foods.
“We see this as a long-term investment in both child development and the local dairy industry, made possible through strong collaboration with government partners,” Tan said.
—Edited by Miguel R. Camus
