The activity was attended by Department of Agriculture (DA) OIC-Regional Technical
Director for Operations and Task Force GATAS Team Leader Zaldy Boloron, and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Sarangani-General Santos Provincial Director Nabil Hadji Yassin who served as resource persons.
Boloron explained though that the acronym “GATAS” does not only mean milk per se but also stand for Government Action Towards Transformation in Agriculture for Sustainability, which further aims to address the problems of poverty, malnutrition, and peace and order in the region.
Boloron said that the observance of Buwan ng Gatas is by virtue of RDC Resolution No. 156 designating March as Milk Awareness Month in Soccsksargen, the first region to celebrate in the country and recognize the importance of milk being the centerpiece of its celebration.
Buwan ng Gatas celebration is also geared towards achieving the goals of Republic Act 11037, otherwise known as “Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino.”
Boloron stressed that because the region has little supply of milk, it really has to intensify its production through the convergence of the Task Force GATAS member agencies, such as the National Dairy Authority, Philippine Carabao Center, Philippine Coconut Authority through its Carabao Coconut-Based Enterprise, the DSWD, DepEd, and Daycare Centers.
Meanwhile, Yassin emphasized that milk has nutritious contents like calcium, phosphorous, and other nutrients needed by children to grow healthy. A recent study by DOST, he said showed that children under milk feeding program exhibited growth improvement as compared to non-beneficiaries who had initially showed signs of malnutrition.
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