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- Category: Region 3
Ang Municipal Nutrition Committee ng Talavera sa pangunguna ni Mayor Nerivi Santos-Martinez ay namahagi ng masustansyang tinapay na NUTRIBUN sa panahon ng pandemya na COVID-19 bilang suplemento sa mga batang may edad na 12-59 na buwan, mga buntis, senior citizen, nagpapasusong ina at mga mahihirap na talagang naapektuhan ng pandemya.
Ang Bakery ng Bayan ang nangangasiwang gumawa ng mga masusustansyang tinapay na ipinamahagi sa panahon ng Community Quarantine. Nine thousand five-hundred seventy-four (9,574) packs ang naibahagi sa 53 barangay ng Talavera. At kabilang rito ang 497 na mga batang may mababang timbang at mga batang nasa borderline, 569 na mga buntis, 1,023 na nagpapasusong ina, 2,325 na senior citizen at 5,160 na pamilyang kabilang sa mga mahihirap na talagang naapektuhan ng Enhanced Community Quarantine.
Dahil na rin sa kagustuhan ni Mayor Martinez na sa mga susunod na panahon ay wala nang maitatalang mga batang may mababang timbang, at mga buntis na nanganganak na kulang sa buwan. Kaya’t patuloy ang pag-iisip ni Mayor Martinez ng mga proyektong talagang kapaki-pakinabang at makatutulong sa mga mamamayan ng Talavera.
Ipinagkatiwala ang pamamahala ng pagbibigay ng masustansyang NUTRIBUN sa bayan ng Talavera kay Arjhay P. Bernardo, pambayang tagapangasiwa sa nutrisyon, kung saan ang kasama sa kanilang operasyon ang pagpapatakbo ng Bakery ng Bayan. Ayon pa kay Bernardo, siniguro nyang sa mga benepisyaryo talaga mapupunta ang mga masusustansyang tinapay upang maiwasan ang pagtaas ng bilang ng mga batang may mababang timbang, makatulong na may panlaban sa pandemya ang mga senior citizen dahil gawa ito sa malunggay at masigurado na may magandang nutrisyon pa rin ang mga buntis at nagpapasusong ina sa gitna ng pandemya.
Dagdag dito ang taos pusong pasasalamat ni Mayor Nerivi sa mga nagmagandang loob na tumulong sa Bakery ng Bayan partikular sa pamilya ni Gng. San Pedro na nagbigay ng mga itlog upang mas madaming tinapay ang maibahagi sa ating mga kababayan.
Bilang pagkalinga sa mga mas nangangailangan nating mga kasama, ang karagdagang tulong sa pagpapamigay ng masustansiyang nutribun ay para mapanatili ang kanilang tamang kalusugan sa gitna ng krisis na dala ng COVID19.
May akda: MNAO Arjhay Bernando - Talavera, Nueva Ecija
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- Category: Region 3
On 11 November 2020, the NNC-Region III, in partnership with the Department of Health Central Luzon Center for Health Development, opened the E-learning Course on Nutrition in Emergencies and Nutrition Information for the local government units of Central Luzon via zoom teleconference. The e-learning course will run from November 11 to December 18, 2020, spread out to 12 half-day sessions on a twice a week basis.
The training aims to build the capacities of local nutrition cluster members on nutrition information management. Specifically, the training will help the participants to: (1) demonstrate competence in assessing nutritional status; conducting nutrition surveillance; administering standards and appropriate nutrition interventions for emergencies and disasters; and monitoring and evaluating activities conducted and services rendered; (2) develop competencies on information management including data collection, processing, analysis, visualization and dissemination; (3) develop knowledge and skills on using the six (6) Nutrition Cluster Information Management tools; and (4) improve skills in planning, program implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of nutrition information management activities.
Attendees to the e-learning course are the Municipal Nutrition Action Officers, together with the nutrition staff, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers, Municipal Health Officers and Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers from the partner-LGUs of Maria Aurora and San Luis, Aurora; Limay and Samal, Bataan; Baliaug, Bulacan; General Natividad, Nueva Ecija and Castillejos, Zambales.
The three Nutritionist-Dietitians (ND) from the Aurora Province under the ND Deployment Program of the Department of Health were also invited to join the said e-learning workshop.
The conduct of the course is very timely in the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emerging and unexpected emergencies and calamities that will be experienced in the future.
As of this writing, the e-learning course is on its second day. Thus, more LGUs may still join as there are more slots available to accommodate additional students.
For those attending the course, enjoy the classroom and we encourage you to share your experience for us to create ripples of learnings.
Author: RNPC Ana Maria B. Rosaldo
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- Category: Region 3
Mabalacat City Government opened its new breastfeeding station through the initiative of City Mayor and Chairperson of City Nutrition Committee, Honorable Crisostomo C. Garbo, City Administrator Atty. Emmanuel Ignacio and the City Nutrition Office (CNO), located at the Business One Stop Shop Area of the City Hall. The breastfeeding station is adequately provided with the necessary equipment and other items that a breastfeeding mother would need such as a comfortable chair, wash area, refrigerator to store milk, breast pump, among others.
The facility was established not only that it is required by law, but is intended for City Hall employees who need to express their breastmilk during work hours and for walk-in clients who need a private space to breastfeed their infants or express their breastmilk. A CNO staff and breastfeeding counselors are assigned at the station to assist nursing mothers.
Republic Act 10028 or Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 mandates the establishments of lactation stations in workplaces, provision of breastfeeding breaks for working breastfeeding mothers, establishment of human milk banks in health institutions, inclusion of breastfeeding in curriculum of schools and declaring August of each year as Breastfeeding Awareness Month. The law also provides for the necessary support services to enable breastfeeding mothers to combine family obligations with work responsibilities. Lactation accommodation will also help breastfeeding moms to ease their transition in returning to work following the birth of their child. Having a breastfeeding lactation will encourage, protect, and support the practice of breastfeeding in the workplace and sustain it throughout the first 1,000 days of life of a child.
Exclusive breastfeeding is necessary from birth up to six months while continued breastfeeding is promoted for the next 550 days covering six to 24 months with timely and age appropriate introduction of complementary foods.
Congratulations to the City Nutrition Committee of Mabalacat City Government!
Author: NO II Rose Anne M. Cuyco
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- Category: Region 3
Photo credit to the FAO webpage; World Food Day on 16 October 2020
The National Nutrition Council (NNC) Region III as its commitment to the 2020 World Food Day Celebration on 16 October 2020 will establish its own vegetable garden in the vicinity of its office. The establishment of a vegetable garden is in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit III, in line with the agency’s effort to promote the growing of food gardens in every home to mitigate hunger and malnutrition.
The setting-up of its own vegetable garden will serve as a model to national government agencies that hold their offices outside the Regional Government Center, despite the limited space and whose location is in the bustle of urban environment. NNC-Region III’s office is located along Lazatin Boulevard, City of San Fernando, Pampanga along side with the restobars, car accessories’ shops, food establishments and hotels.
It can be recalled that in 2018, the NNC-Region III started the “Gulayan sa Aming Tanggapan” contest in line with the 44th Nutrition Month celebration with the theme “Ugaliing magtanim, Sapat na nutrisyon aanihin”. The gulayan contest which was also held in partnership with the DA-RFU III was participated by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Food Authority (NFA) Pampanga Office, and National Economic and Development Authorirty (NEDA).
The NFA-Pampanga Office emerged as champion as it planted more crops and produced more yields; followed by the CDA-Regional Office III which converted the sandy and stony parcel of land into a vegetable garden; then by the DSWD-Regional Field Office III which was grown with utmost loving care by its utility staff; then by DOST-RO III and NEDA RO III. The board of judges then were Mr. Ricky Manguerra from the DA-RFU III, Ms. Marie Joy L. Simpao-Carbungco from the Philippine Information Agency-Region III and Ms. Angelita M. Pasos NNC-Region III, who persevered to visit the vegetable gardens regularly to monitor the progress.
The gulayan contest created ripples at the local government units, where up to now is being sustained by families in the barangay, more so with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NNC-Region III staff looks forward to creating another milestone of collaborative efforts with the members of the Central Luzon Regional Nutrition Committee in implementing the project, with the DA-RFU III in particular. The vegetable garden will be launched tentatively on 7 December 2020 as one of the highlights of the 2020 Virtual Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony.
Inspired by the 2020 World Food Day theme “Grow. Nourish. Sustain. Together”, we (NNC) will continue to grow the practice of engaging more people to grow their own food, advocate the importance of nourishment (nutrition), and sustain the good practice together to create greater impact.
NNC-Region III will keep you posted. Please mark the date – 7 December 2020.
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- Category: Region 3
Last 3 September 2020, the National Nutrition Council-Region III (NNC-Region III), in coordination and with the support of the Department of Interior and Local Government-Regional Office 3 (DILG-RO3) organized a webinar entitled “Building Pandemic Resiliency of Local Government Units through Investments in Nutrition in the 2021 Annual Investment Program,” for the Local Chief Executives (LCEs) of Central Luzon. The webinar was attended by more than a hundred LCEs from various parts of Central Luzon, members of the Central Luzon Regional Nutrition Committee (CL-RNC), and the Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) via Zoom teleconference and watched by hundreds more through Facebook where it was also broadcasted in real-time.
The webinar aimed to disseminate the current nutritional state of the region, and more importantly advocate and raise awareness on the importance of investing in nutrition for the LCEs of Central Luzon. The webinar would also have not been successful if not for the efforts of staff that made it possible, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator (RNPC) Ana Maria B. Rosaldo, Nutrition Officer III (NO III) Angelita M. Pasos, NO II Rose Anne M. Cuyco, and NO I Antonette Gail D. Garcia, and also the resource speakers that gave their time to share their expertise and advocate for better nutrition programs and policies through investing in nutrition. The resource speakers include: Director Cesar C. Cassion, Regional Director (RD) of the Department of Health-Central Luzon Center for Health Development (DOH-CL CHD); Director Julie J. Daquioag, RD of the DILG-RO3; Dr. Azucena M. Dayanghirang, Executive Director (ED) of NNC; Ms. Chona F. Patalen, and Ms. Cristina G. Mabalad, Senior Science Research Specialists of the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI); and Mr. Reginaldo Guillen, NO IV of NNC-Central Office.
The program proper started with an acknowledgement of participants followed by a welcome message from RD Cassion who is also the Chairperson of the CL-RNC, delivered by Assistant Regional Director (ARD) Juliana Reyes. RD Cassion thanked everyone for attending the first ever nutrition webinar for the LCEs. He mentioned that the webinar, a Local Government Unit (LGU) mobilization strategy, is a key strategic thrust of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022, and Central Luzon Regional Plan of Action (RPAN) 2019-2022, taking into account the new platform via zoom as platform of virtual communication reaching out to the LCEs who are the chairpersons of the provincial, city, municipality, and barangay nutrition committees. RD Cassion also highlighted how he hoped that the participants will be able to appreciate the synergistic relationship of nutrition and development and that the two are co-dependent of each other, that nutrition will not happen without development and vice-versa. He also hoped that the realization of this relationship will be strengthened upon the conduct of the online workshops on integrating nutrition in the annual investment plans of the various LGUs of Central Luzon. RD Cassion ended his message on a hopeful note that everyone’s eyes be opened and enable everyone to not just see the value of nutrition, but as new perspective that everyone will get from the webinar and the following online workshops.
RD Cassion’s message was followed by an inspiration message from RD Daquioag, Vice-Chair of the CL-RNC, delivered by Mr. Ener Cambronero. RD Daquioag stated how stunting remains to be one of the main nutritional challenges in the country and how its consequences affects our nation as a whole. She also cited the different laws and policies in the country that support the scaling up for nutrition, but mentioned how despite these laws and policies, LGUs need a strong political commitment to play their role to ensure that programs, projects, and activities, that are invested and included in their AIPs are addressing these pervasing health and nutrition problems in the country. She also strongly advocated for the cooperation and coordinate with the government agencies that will guide everyone in achieving the goal to reduce malnutrition in the country, especially at this time of heath emergency. She also hoped that everyone attending the webinar will understand the weight why nutrition should be integrated in the AIPs.
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- Category: Region 3
Congratulations, Mabalacat City for acquiring a Mother-Baby Friendly Workplace Certification from the Department of Health Central Luzon Center for Health Development (DOH CL CHD)!
The City Government of Mabalacat was the first among the 137 local government units in Central Luzon to receive the Mother-Baby Friendly Workplace Certification from the DOH CL CHD. The certification was issued by the DOH CL CHD Regional Director and CL Regional Nutrition Committee Chair Dr. Cesar C. Cassion on 10 September 2020 and is valid for three years.
A “mother-baby friendly workplace” certification means that Mabalacat City Government ensures the promotion and practice of breastfeeding by providing healthy and safe working conditions for women through the establishment of a lactation station or facility. The city government also instituted a 40-minute break for breastfeeding employees to express their milk and provided information materials on breastfeeding for pregnant women employees.
The breastfeeding station is located at the Business One Stop Shop Area of the City Hall, well-lit, with comfortable sofa and is equipped with basic amenities such as a lavatory, small refrigerator, small table, breast pumps and covered containers. A staff from the City Nutrition Office (CNO) and a breastfeeding counselor are assigned at the station to assist lactating mothers.
The initiative of Mabalacat City to put up a lactation station in the workplace is an encouragement to other LGUs and other sectors to establish similar facilities in their workplaces.
Read more: Mabalacat City Government: Certified Mother-Baby Friendly Workplace
