22 August 2017 – To recognize the efforts of the stakeholders in the region, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) MiMaRoPa held its annual Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony at Acacia Hotel, Muntinlupa City to acknowledge the partner Local Government Units (LGUs) and agencies in improving the nutrition situation in MiMaRoPa. This awarding ceremony is the culmination of several months of Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) participated in by the Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team (RNET) which is composed of representatives from different regional line agencies of MiMaRoPa. Along with NNC MiMaRoPa, evaluators assessed the nutrition program implementation of the nutrition committees from the provincial up to the barangay level. Deliberations for the most outstanding LGUs, Municipal Nutrition Action Officers (MNAOs), Barangay Nutrition Committees (BNCs), and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) was finalized last 29 June 2017 at AurumOne Hotel, Makati City.

Around 95 guests and awardees attended the ceremony which are composed of six (6) Local Chief Executives (LCEs) including Honorable Governor Carmencita O. Reyes of Marinduque; Honorable Mayor Violeta L. Dimapilis of Roxas, Oriental Mindoro; Honorable Mayor Eddie C. Lota of Alcantara, Romblon; Honorable Mayor Trina Alejandra Firmalo-Fabic of Odiongan, Romblon; Honorable Mayor Roberto M. Madla of Boac, Marinduque; Honorable Mayor Lucena D. Demaala of Narra, Palawan; Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Members Honorable Rollie F. Lachica of Odiongan, Romblon; and Honorable Mylene de Jesus and Anelia T. Nicolas of Calapan City. Also present during the awarding were Regional Director of the Department of Health IV-B (DOH) and Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) Chair Dr. Eduardo C. Janairo; Executive Director of Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) Dr. Mary Christine R. Castro; and Assistant Regional Director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) MiMaRoPa Mr. Karl Caesar R. Rimando; Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team (RNET) members; Provincial/City Nutrition Action Officers (P/CNAOs); District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators (D/CNPCs); officers of the media group, PROMO Nutri Com (Palawan, Romblon, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, and Occidental Mindoro Nutrition Communicators); BNS Federation of Region IV-B; Directors and Deans from the State Colleges and Universities; and this year’s awardees. 

Dir. Janairo, as the keynote speaker, presented DOH’s Seven Pillars of Nutrition which includes seven focus areas for nutrition programs such as Oral Health, Maternal and Family Nutrition, Breastfeeding, Raw and Cooked Plant-based Food/Chef, Organic Farming and Vegetable Gardening, Direct Feeding, and Malward and Other Diseases. This is DOH’s effort to efficiently and effectively target malnutrition in MiMaRoPa and is promising when partnered with the various programs of the updated Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022.

The RNET were given citation for their efforts during the MELLPI and the regular meetings throughout 2017. Special awards, Green Banner awards, Regional Outstanding BNC and BNS, and Outstanding MNAO for 2016 were recognized during the awarding ceremony. The major awards were as follows:

• 2016 Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Committee – Barangay Panacan, Narra, Palawan
• 2016 Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar – Ms. Josefina N. Logatoc of Barangay Puting Buhangin, Boac, Marinduque
• 2016 Outstanding Municipal Nutrition Action Officer – Ms. Yolanda P. Ylagan of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro
• Green Banner Award – 2016 Outstanding Municipality in the Province and Region – Roxas, Oriental Mindoro
• Green Banner Award – 2016 Outstanding City in the Region – City of Calapan
• 2016 Most Innovative Province in the Region – Province of Romblon
• 2016 Top Performing Province in the Region – Province of Marinduque

All awardees were given plaques of recognition, Green Banners were also given to Outstanding LGUs, while Outstanding BNSs were given cash prizes. Awardees signified their continuous support and active implementation of the different nutrition programs in their respective areas through a short response speech after receiving their awards. The RNAC aims to enhance the participation of LGUs in the fight against malnutrition not only through adopting distinct programs and projects of the national government but also through implementing innovative strategies which directly targets the unique problems and resources of their respective areas. //jlbv