The Quirino province through the Provincial Nutrition Committee received its first year Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (Crown) maintenance award from the National Nutrition Council during the awarding ceremony last November 5,2013 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Provincial Nutrition Officer Luningning Pacudan said the conferment of the first year Crown maintenance award to Quirino was based on the recommendation of the National Nutrition Evaluation Team (NNET) who evaluated the province last May.
She explained that the decreasing number of malnourished children in the province was one of the main factor why Quirino was able to get the first year Crown maintenance award.
Pacudan attributed the improvement of the nutritional status of the children to the various programs and projects initiated by the provincial officials headed by Gov. Junie E. Cua and their partner agencies.
One of the projects, Pacudan said, includes the Quirino Livelihood for Everyone or Q-Life which helped uplift the economic status of the Qurinians in general.
Pacudan also said that the NNET took note of how the Quirinians are benefiting from the various infrastructure development projects such as roads and bridges which had improved access to food, education and health services.
“The I Love Quirino Caravan which aimed to bring the provincial government’s services right at the doorstep of the Quirinians, was also a big factor why we were able to improve the nutritional status of the children,” Pacudan said.
Based from the record of the nutrition office, the province was able to reduce the number of underweight and severely underweight pre-schoolers from 605 in 2012 to 548 this year.
Likewise, the number of wasted and severely wasted school children was reduced from 1,492 during school year 2011-2012 to 1,352 during the recent school year.
She said through the support of the local government units and the member-agencies, the province will be able to achieve the second CROWN maintenance award and eventually, the Nutrition hall of fame award.
