After two years of conducting online Nutrition Month Launching activities, the Regional Nutrition Committee 02 through the National Nutrition Council Region 02 and Provincial Government of Quirino Province jointly launched the 48th Nutrition Month Celebration last 4 July 2022 at the Quirino Provincial Gymnasium in Capitol Hills, Cabarroguis, Quirino. This year’s nutrition month theme is: “New normal na nutrisyon, sama-samang gawan ng solusyon!”. The theme calls for strengthened nutrition interventions and solidarity towards nutrition improvement as the country shifts towards living with the COVID-19 virus. The theme signifies the key role of nutrition in building resilience from pandemic to endemic paradigm.
A motorcade in the vicinity of Cabarroguis was held to kick-off the celebration. It ended at the Quirino Provincial Gymnasium and the participants immediately danced to an almost 15-minute Zumba Dance Exercise to keep their energies flowing. The preliminaries were highlighted by the launching of the National Nutrition Council Hymn in the region. Hon. Vice-Governor Julius Caesar S. Vaquilar welcomed all the participants composed of the citizens and local nutrition committees of Quirino Province, the Regional Nutrition Committee Region 02 headed by Dr. Grace V. Santiago, Regional Director of Cagayan Valley Center for Health Development, Dr. Angel Encarnacion, Regional Director of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Dr. Herita Macarubbo, Regional Director of Commission on Population and Development, Ms. Maria Gisela M. Lonzaga, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator of NNC Region 02, and other members of the RNC Region 02.
“We are happy to see everyone, most especially the different agencies and members of the Regional Nutrition Committee Region 02, in this event, in our beautiful and abundant province. We are indeed in the New Normal and must work collectively to ensure better nutrition for everyone!”, Hon. Vice-Governo Vaquilar said during his welcome remarks.
Hon. Governor Dakila Carlo E. Cua also welcomed everyone through a recorded video. “The pandemic indeed affected the economy, livelihood, and ultimately our overall health, including nutrition. As we shift to the New Normal paradigm, we must ensure proper nutrition to everyone for us to be protected from the virus. We must scale-up the multistakeholder nutrition interventions to make this possible.”
In lieu of Regional Director Jonathan Paul Leusen of Department of Interior and Local Government, Ms. Maybelle Anog, Division Chief of Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation, delivered a message. “Malnutrition has been one of the alarming and upsetting problems we have been confronted for quite some time. We must ensure that nutrition should be integrated in our development agenda. Nutrition plays an indispensable role in building resilience as we go into a progressive paradigm shift from pandemic to endemic situation.”, she said during the event.
“New Normal means we must learn how to live with COVID-19 in our country as we shift from pandemic to endemic phase. We must identify our partners in intensifying nutrition program management in the region through whole-of-nation and whole-of-government approaches, from the country’s president down to our barangay nutrition scholars.” Dr. Grace V. Santiago told the participants in her inspirational message. She also encouraged the local nutrition committees to scale-up their health and nutrition programs as we shift to the New Normal.
The 2022 Nutrition Month Talking Points was presented by RNPC Maria Gisela M. Lonzaga. She presented this year’s 2022 Nutrition Month Campaign which aims to highlight the importance of nutrition in recovery, stimulate discussions on how to build back better the design and delivery of nutrition interventions, and encourage the participation of various sectors to promote nutrition. She also added that the pandemic affected the nutrition situation in the country, including the region, in terms of worsen food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition prevalence. She also shared that nutrition and the new normal is linked in attaining resiliency with this pandemic. She also called for the participation of all nutrition stakeholders in achieving better nutrition in the normal.
Nutrition Officer III Edzell Arcinue presented the 2022 Nutrition Month Plans of the region. He shared that the following activities will be held in the region for the month of July:
- 2022 Nutrition Month Launching
- Tipon-Tipan sa PIA Episode on 2022 Nutrition Month
- 2022 Nutrition Month Campaign in Quad Media
- 2022 Nutrition Month Contests for LGUs and other stakeholders
- Culminating Activities all over the region
Also a part of the program was allocated to the provision of Fish Demo Project and Fishing Gears of BFAR Region 02, and seeds and seedlings from the Provincial Agriculture Office of Quirino to also highlight the multistakeholder participation in nutrition interventions.
A breastmilk donation corner was also designated in the gymnasium for the mothers who came to attend the program and at the same time donated breastmilk.
The launch was officially closed by Dr. Mila J. Villar, Provincial Health Officer and Provincial Nutrition Action Officer of Quirino Province. “We would like to thank everyone for their participation in this successful event. Let us all work together to ensure better nutrition for everyone not just in our region, but also for our country.”
After the short program, simultaneous contests including poster and slogan making contest and nutrition quiz contest were held in the gymnasium.
As the Regional Nutrition Committee Region 02 launched the 2022 Nutrition Month Celebration, we are calling for everyone’s contribution, effort, energy, and participation in ending malnutrition in the region and ensure better nutrition in the New Normal. – Edzell M. Arcinue
