OVP, DepEd distribute nutritional buns to undernourished students in Davao City

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) together with the Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday pilot-tested a nourishment program for students by distributing nutritional buns for its "Pansarap program".

A total of 733 undernourished students in Lower Tamugan Elementary School in Davao City were the first beneficiaries of the supplemental nutrition intervention program.

The "Pansarap" buns were developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) and come in 10 flavors which are all Halal certified.

The buns will be distributed to students from Mondays to Fridays for 120 days.

Lawyer Zuleika T. Lopez, OVP Undersecretary, said the program is an initiative of Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte who intends to bring the program to other parts of the country with high cases of malnutrition among children.

"The program will be soon implemented in Upi, Maguindanao, targeting 1,893 schoolchildren who need proper nutrition," said the OVP in a statement. —Sherylin Untalan/ VAL, GMA Integrated News