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NUtriskwela2

A world without radio is a deaf world. A world without television is a blind world. A world without telephone is a dumb world. A world
without communication is indeed a crippled world.
 - Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

As the nation continues its plight in fighting the deadly virus that has spread across the globe, one province in Central Luzon has stood out amongst the others, and this is the Province of Aurora.

Despite the country’s recording of its first ever reported local transmission last 7 March 2020, that has resulted in Luzon and its associated islands being imposed under Enhanced Community Quarantine on 16 March 2020 by the government, until as of this publishing time of the article, the Province of Aurora has successfully reported zero cases of confirmed COVID-19 positive patients. This triumph is the results of combined efforts from the Aurora’s local government units (LGUs), the constituents, and most importantly, the front-liners who tirelessly did their duty. It is also worth mentioning that it was not just the medical front-liners who helped, but the peace-keeping military and police squads, the agriculture, food manufacturing, and delivery employees, and also the media people who also tirelessly continued to provide the people with news that are accurate and timely.

As the only province in the Central Luzon that has an established Nutriskwela Community Radio Network Station for both the Municipality of Dingalan and Municipality of Casiguran in Aurora Province, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) Region III believes that the community radio stations also provided a way to the people of Aurora to be able to get reliable news. The NNC-Region III sought information from the people working behind the scenes of the two radio stations (Radyo Kaedup 102.9 FM and Radyo Kawadi 100.7 FM for Dingalan and Casiguran, Aurora, respectively.)



Ms. Analyn N. Pajarillo, Municipal Nutrition Action Officer (MNAO) of Dingalan, Aurora shared with us that during the pandemic, Radyo Kaedup has not stopped operating despite the ECQ being imposed. She also shared with us that the radio station was really of a big help for the constituents of Dingalan, Aurora as they were able to share not only the latest news about COVID-19 through their radio station, but were also able to report about the market prices as a guide for their constituents, to facilitate fair trade and avoid any business to rip-off or try to make use of the pandemic to increase their product prices. Ms. Pajarillo proudly shared with us that despite the ongoing pandemic, they were still able to continue with their nutrition programs like the continuous supplementary feeding of underweight (UW) and severely underweight (SUW) children and Vitamin A supplementation with the help of their Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs). They also made it a point to prioritize the families of these children during the distribution of food packs. Radyo Kaedup also gave the way for Rural Health Unit (RHU) to announce vaccination schedules so people will no longer leave their homes and will know when their barangay is scheduled for the vaccination.

Ms. Jammie Amazona, the Program Manager of Radyo Kaedup was proud to share with us that they included various special segments where they give updates about COVID-19, like the “Bantay COVID-19,” a news program where they reported new updates and development regarding the COVID-19 situation in the municipal level. “Iwas COVID Tips” is also a special segment that airs during lunch time every day which caters to providing useful information to prevent any COVID-19 infection like “How to properly wear a mask,” etc. The “COVID-19 Myths and Facts” which Ms. Amazona takes pride on is about debunking any fake news and dispelling rumors that might have a chance in spreading so as to prevent misinformation and panic amongst the Dingaleños. This is such an important segment as the proliferation of fake news is very much prevalent during this pandemic and it usually causes panic among people if not addressed properly.

The “Mayor’s Hour” with Mayor Shierwin Taay usually involves the mayor being on board and phone patches with the Municipal Health Officer, Dr. Lani Cebedo, and the Dingalan Community Hospital, where updates on consultants’ clinic hours are reported and shared with the community. As of the nutrition related programs, she also shared that during interviews with Dr. Cebedo on-air, Dr. Cebedo always addresses nutrition and especially gives focus on Infant and Young Child Feeding and promotes breastfeeding. Nutrition updates are also tackled during the special segments related to COVID-19 and most information are usually from the NNC Facebook page, DOH Facebook page, and the World Health Organization (WHO) site. In terms of feedback, Ms. Amazona shared with us that they have a very active feedback mechanism through text, Facebook, and hotline. All sectors and basic necessities that the community needs update on are being reported and those who have questions, feedbacks, and concerns are answered on-air.

For Radyo Kawadi, Ms. Marissa Orcullo, the MNAO of Casiguran, Aurora was interviewed. Ms. Orcullo shared that her nutrition segment “Nutrition At Iba Pa” was continuously aired and also included not only relevant and updated nutrition information but also agricultural updates. The only nutrition related program which was not aired during the ECQ was the “NutriScholar on-Air” as it was affected by the broadcasting scheduled. This was explained by Ms. Zenaida Rodriguez, the Radio Program Manager of Radyo Kawadi, as the ECQ and curfew affected the broadcasting schedule and only allowed them to broadcast from 6 o’clock in the morning until 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Ms. Orcullo told us that the radio station starts its broadcast every morning with proper hygiene and handwashing reminders. Ms. Orcullo also said that Radyo Kawadi was widely accepted in the community as it was mostly their primary source of information, which was of really great help to their constituents. 

For feedback, the residents of Casiguran were updated and always sent in queries and during Dr. Merill A. Danay’s segment, the Head of COVID-19 Task Force Casiguran, listeners sent in texts or called the hotline to ask questions regarding COVID-19 where they are answered on-air. Dr. Danay also provided phone check-ups to some listeners who wanted consultations. Ms. Rodriguez, told us that the feedback mechanism was a great help in catering the people’s queries regarding various topics, like updates on the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), benefits from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Both Nutriskwela Community Network Radio Stations shared how important and how huge the role of the radio stations are to their community as both are able to provide the right information. Through the radio stations, misconceptions are corrected and addressed and confusion is prevented. Providing the right information during such pandemic is such an important matter that not only can bring peace and information in the community, but ultimately save lives.

Author: Nutrition Officer I Antonette Gail D. Garcia