The Cebu provincial government is expected to release an initial P3 million this month from its total P7 million counterpart to the national government’s Early Childhood Care and Development Program.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said children from 14 towns in the province will be the beneficiaries of the three-year project that was already approved by the Provincial Development Council last month.
The town-beneficiaries are Argao, Badian, Balamban, Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Minglanilla, San Francisco, Sogod, Sta. Fe, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Tudela and Poro.
These municipalities were chosen based on the high infant and maternal mortality rates as well as high dropout rates and low participation in Grade I.
Supplemental feeding of children and their mothers in day-care centers is the highlight of the program. The governor hopes that in the years to come, the number of town beneficiaries will increase.
The provincial government is now working on a scheme for the project to continue even after the government pulls out after its three-year implementation. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP