As if trying to win over a divided nation wasn’t enough, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo faces another challenge as the Philippine government combats a shortage of cows.
A program at schools to feed some of the country’s 12 million malnourished children needs 12,000 more cows to provide enough milk, said Corazon Soliman, the social welfare secretary.
Arroyo, who is fighting opposition allegations of election cheating and illegal gambling payoffs to her family, made the feeding program one of her 10 key campaign promises when she won a fresh term last year.
Of the 12 million children most at risk, 2.2 million are underweight and 2.86 million are shorter than average, according to the National Anti-Poverty Commission.
“We will be servicing 300,000 children a day and will need 15,850 gallons a day,” the Philippine Star quoted her as saying. “We hope to get 40 percent of the milk requirements from the dairy industry in the Philippines.”
Soliman said the Department of Agriculture was giving grants and loans to farmers to encourage them to breed milking cows.
The government had set aside 300 million pesos ($5.4 million) to improve the nutrition of school children, she said, adding the program would also help stimulate the rural economy and create jobs on farms.
