Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso’s signature feeding initiative, “Yormilk,” continues to serve as a cornerstone of the city’s broader nutrition and child development strategy, pushing past early public criticism to tackle malnutrition among young learners.
Speaking at a recent sustainability forum, Domagoso explained how the program dual-hats as a public health solution and an economic lifeline.
The concept was born after the mayor ordered the Manila Health Department (MHD) and the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) to assess the well-being of the city’s youth.
“Baka may problema ang mga atabs natin, which turned out to be when I directed MHD, MDSW: ‘Check niyo nga mga mag-aaral ko’.”
The resulting data pointed directly to systemic malnutrition among young Manileños, particularly daycare and elementary students.
Seeking a viable remedy, Domagoso discovered a critical supply surplus during a meeting with the National Dairy Authority (NDA), where he learned that local dairy farmers were suffering from a severe lack of market demand.
“Fortunately, I attended a conversation like this through NDA. I found out na marami pa lang gatas ang natatapon sa kalsada, sa farm, kasi walang merkado o demand.”
Recognizing a mutually beneficial opportunity to bridge the gap between undernourished students and struggling local producers, the mayor utilized city funds to source the supply directly.
“May problema ako, may pera ako. Wala kang merkado, wala kang produkto. I was in a forum like this, then it turned out to be, boom, panis—gatas sa farm.”
The initiative, officially registered as “Yormilk: Kaagapay ng Batang Maynila sa Paglaki,” formally rolled out on Monday, January 12, in Barangay 137, Balut, Tondo.
By cutting out middle management and partnering directly with rural cooperatives, Manila established a pioneering logistics pipeline.
“For the first time, a local government unit acquired directly from a cooperative and brought it to Manila three times a week.”
Under the program’s current framework, 21,651 preschoolers receive fresh milk three times a week over a 90-day cycle. By fusing education, social welfare, and economic agricultural support, the city administration aims to boost classroom attendance and cognitive performance, proving that targeted feeding initiatives can yield long-term developmental success.