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Directors Bio 3471 2756

AZUCENA MILANA-DAYANGHIRANG, MD, MCH, CESO III
ASSISTANT SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
NATIONAL NUTRITION COUNCIL

Dr. Azucena M. Dayanghirang is an experienced public health leader. For the past 29 years, she has been a facilitator and a trainer for various health programs particularly on Maternal Child Health and Nutrition. She has served the people of Davao as City Nutrition Action Officer from 1991-1995; Chief of the Technical Services Division and Medical Officer VI of Davao City Health Office from 1996 to 2005; as well as the Provincial Health Officer II and Provincial Nutrition Action Officer of Davao del Sur from 2008 to 2016.

During her stint in the local government, she led the City Nutrition Committee in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health and nutrition programs. She initiated the “Fresh Milk Supplemental Feeding Program,” which led to the reduction of protein-energy malnutrition among 0-6-year-old children. She also successfully lobbied for the regularization of 32 Nutritionist-Dietitians deployed in the 16 Districts of Davao City in 1996.

In 2016, she was elected as the National President of the Nutrition Action Officers' Association of the Philippines (NAOPA), Inc. Shortly after, she was appointed as Deputy Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC), an attached agency of the Department of Health, Philippines. In August 2019, Dr. Dayanghirang was appointed as the Executive Director of the NNC. Currently, she is designated as the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Philippines Government Focal Point and most recently, appointed as a member of the Executive Committee of the Global Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement representing Asia and Papua New Guinea.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed the appointment of Dr. Dayanghirang to Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) Rank III effective 3 December 2020. Recently, she was upgraded to Executive Director IV with the rank of Assistant Secretary as approved by President Duterte through Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea on 21 July 2021.

Philippines sends delegation to SUN Global Gathering in Nepal

Details
Category: Directors Corner

Image sunGG articleThe Philippine team was composed of the Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Government Focal Point Dr. Azucena Milana-Dayanghirang, Nutrition Program Coordinator of Region VII Parolita Mission representing the subnational NNC, Dr. Amado Parawan of Save the Children representing the SUN Civil Society Alliance, Ms. Maria Evelyn Carpio of UNICEF representing the Philippine SUN UN Network, Mr. Racky Doctor of Nutridense Food, and Ms. Arlene Ruiz of the National Economic and Development Authority.

The delegation met with the SUN Movement Coordinator Gerda Verburg to discuss the Philippines' continued support and commitment in eradicating malnutrition as well as with the newly appointed member of the SUN Movement Lead Group, Ms. Cherrie Atilano, a Filipina who is one of the UN ambassadors. In addition, the delegation turned over a copy of The Ascent of Local Governments in Nutrition in the Philippines, A Compendium of Actions for Nutrition (CAN) book to the SUN Movement Secretariat.

The SUN Global Gathering is the flagship event of the SUN Movement that brings together SUN Government Focal Points and members from their multi- stakeholder platforms.

The SUN Movement is a global movement but is led by individual country governments. It aims to scale up nutrition action especially in the first 1000 days through the engagement of stakeholders from government organizations, non-government organizations, business community, academe, donors and UN agencies, among others. The Philippines has been a part of the movement since 2014.