In a simple ceremony on December 15, the DDB turned over two million worth of funds to the National Dairy Authority (NDA) for the provision of milk and milk products to Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers (DATRCs) nationwide.
This is part of the efforts of the DDB to assist in incorporating the use of Nutrition Management Guidelines in the treatment and rehabilitation of Persons Who Use Drugs (PWUDs).
Last February, the DDB adopted the dietary manuals borne of a study conducted by the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI). The study showed strong evidence that balanced diet and nutrition management is necessary to an effective treatment and rehabilitation plan for PWUDs.
To support DATRCs in providing a balanced and nutritious diet to PWUDs, the DDB partnered with NDA to link DATRCs to dairy farmers, cooperatives, and processors that can provide quality milk and milk products.
Based on the Nutrition Management Guidelines, among the nutrients affected by substance use is Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin which can be supplemented by taking in nutritious-rich food like milk and yoghurt. The guidelines recommend the inclusion of these products in the diet of PWUDs.
This is where NDA’s assistance comes in to ensure the availability and access of DATRCs to quality milk and milk products. The DDB will provide vouchers to DATRCs which they can bring to NDA-identified farmers and processors in exchange for milk products.
DDB Executive Director Undersecretary Earl P. Saavedra handed the check amounting to Two Million Pesos, as an initial budget for the project, to NDA represented by its Deputy Administrator Farrell Benjelix Clores Magtoto.
NDA Administrator Marilyn B. Mabale also welcomed the initiative saying, “it will not only help people in rehabilitation but the farmers as well whose market was also affected by the pandemic.”
This initiative is part of the overall efforts to continuously improve demand reduction initiatives and strengthen intervention programs in treatment and rehabilitation facilities in line with the implementation of the Philippine Anti-Illegal Drugs Strategy (PADS). # ## (DA-NDA)
