Mayor and Municipal Nutrition Committee Chair Liwayway DC Caramat of Nueva, Vizcaya has attended the National Conference of Regional Bantay Asin Task Forces last January 22-23, 2015 at Bayview Park Hotel, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

The Santa Fe Bantay Asin Checkpoint is one of the good practices of the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force of Cagayan Valley. Mayor Caramat shared her presentation on relevant and appropriate salt iodization initiatives with the topic “Active LGU Involvement in Salt Checkpoint: The Case of Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya”.

Mayor Caramat presented the situation of Cagayan Valley Region in 1998 in terms of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) that challenged Region 02 to organize the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force and establish the Bantay Asin Checkpoint as an initiative to regulate the entry of non-iodized salt in the region and eliminate the occurrence of Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) in Cagayan Valley. Mayor Caramat further presented the continuing efforts and initiatives implemented by the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force with the support of the National Nutrition Council-Region 02, Local Government Unit of Santa Fe, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)-Philippines and other stakeholders.

Mayor Caramat also highlighted the involvement of Barangay Nutrition Scholars Federation of Santa Fe in making an initiative to sustain the gains of Santa Fe through an income generating project (supplying of repacked adequately-iodized salt to Botika sa Barangay and all barangays of Santa Fe).

The mayor’s presentation ended with sharing the plans of Santa Fe Bantay Asin Checkpoint for 2015 that would sustain/protect the gains of Region 02 on IDD elimination.

Nutrition Program Coordinator Rhodora G. Maestre also attended the said event to show her support to the Bantay Asin Checkpoint- a worthy Salt Iodization Program in Region 02.