MALASIQUI: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has allocated PHP182.4 million for the 120-day supplementary feeding program of 101,374 children in the Ilocos Region starting September this year. The program will benefit learners aged three to five enrolled in the 125 local government units (LGUs) Child Development Centers or Day Care Centers or in supervised neighborhood play institutions in the region, DSWD-Ilocos Region social welfare officer Marjie Sab-it said in a phone interview on Wednesday. 'This aims to improve the weight of the children especially the undernourished or maintain the weight of those who are at the normal range of weight for their age,' she said in Filipino. Bulk of the funding or PHP100.4 million will go to Pangasinan for its around 55,800 beneficiaries, followed by La Union with PHP31.6 million for around 17,500 beneficiaries, Ilocos Sur with PHP29.4 million for around 16,300, and Ilocos Norte with PHP20.9 million for around 11,600 beneficiaries. Sab-it said th e number of beneficiaries this year increased from last year's 100,152 learners. 'The number of beneficiaries depends on the submitted list of learners by the LGUs,' she said. According to the DSWD, the feeding program aims to improve and maintain the nutritional status of children enrolled in child development centers or in supervised neighborhood play by providing augmentation support for feeding and intensifying nutrition and health education. Source: Philippines News Agency