Barangay Southville III in Muntinlupa City became the site of the newly revitalized PEPSIGLA Nutrition Program, this time designed for communities and barangays by Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI) and its implementing partners.

PEPSIGLA, which started as a school-based feeding program, will now cover communities whose young children are rated either as wasted or severely wasted based on their body-mass index rating. The program in total will be on its fourth year of implementation and has already impacted some 1,380 undernourished children in over 25 public schools nationwide.
“With PEPSIGLA now focused on barangays where we are active and present, our battle cry to bring back vitality in the lives of undernourished Filipino children can continue to touch the lives of many more Filipinos,” said Jika Dalupan, PCPPI Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications.

Statistics showed that since PEPSIGLA’s 2013 launch, 95 percent of beneficiaries have registered 100 percent weight gain; while over 90 percent attained normal nutritional status.

Beneficiaries are selected on the basis of their wasted- or severely wasted nutritional status at the start of the program, as assessed by the barangay’s health office workers. Once parents give their consent for their children to become PEPSIGLA kids, the youngsters are provided one hot and healthy meal daily for 180 school days, translating into six months of continuous feeding of nutritious foods made up of locally sourced ingredients.

With the help of implementing partners like the Department of Social Welfare, and Development (DSWD); the City Government of Muntinlupa, Lighthouse Christian Community, and Kabisig ng Kalahi, PEPSIGLA is expanding its horizons to reach more barangays in the country, while involving everyone in the local community transforming the children into healthier citizens.