MANILA – The National Dairy Authority (NDA) and ABI Pascual Foods, Inc. are partnering to expand the milk feeding program and advance child nutrition while supporting local dairy farmers.
The public-private partnership, signed in Makati City on Thursday and implemented in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the City Government of Sta. Rosa, expands its support for the daily milk feeding of 504 learners in Malitlit Elementary School in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
ABI Pascual Foods, Inc. is considered the agency’s first partner under the Private Sector-Funded Milk Feeding Program, a program which seeks to address the limited market access for Filipino dairy farmers by linking them with schools which have direct institutional demands.
“Connecting school feeding initiatives with direct local procurement under the Sagip Saka Act creates a win-win model for both child health and local agriculture,” NDA Administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya said in a statement.
“Guaranteed demand from committed private-sector partners like ABI Pascual gives our dairy farmers the economic stability they need to be able to expand their herds and boost local production.”
The NDA chief then lauded ABI Pascual as the agency’s first private partner and also urged other private sectors to collaborate to further boost the milk feeding program.
“Through partnerships with the private sector such as ABI Pascual, we can help sustain these initiatives and ensure that more Filipino learners receive the nutritional support they need to grow, thrive, and reach their full potential,” he said.
For his part, ABI Pascual Foods, Inc. Managing Director Javier Palomino underscored the importance of learners’ nutrition, citing the need for “consistency” to have a lasting difference.
“What we are building at Malitlit Elementary School with the NDA, DepEd, and the Sta. Rosa LGU is more than a feeding program—it is a clear, repeatable blueprint for how corporate resources and public policy can unite to achieve long-term child nutrition and national dairy self-sufficiency,” he said.
“By expanding our commitment to the program, we ensure that these learners receive sustained nourishment needed to truly thrive in the classroom, while supporting local dairy farmers through more reliable market demand.”
For the first 100 days of implementation, about 10,080 liters of fresh milk will be procured and distributed, equivalent to 50,400 bottles of 200 millimeters milk.
This amounts to PHP25 per bottle or about PHP1.26 million worth of potential sales for the NDA-assisted dairy cooperativeKatipunan ng Kooperatibang Manggagatas, Inc. in Laguna. (PNA/Stephanie Sevillano)
