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- Category: Region 3
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga (PIA) - National Nutrition Council (NNC), Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) urged various stakeholders in Central Luzon to support breastfeeding by setting up lactation stations in their respective workplace.
NNC said this is meant to highlight the importance of the first 1,ooo days of life of an individual.
“The first 1000 days has been called the golden window of opportunity and is crucial because this will build the foundation of an individual’s ability to grow, learn, and develop,” NNC Officer-In-Charge Ana Maria Rosaldo said.
This is also anchored on Republic Act 10028 or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, which seeks to encourage, protect and support the practice of breastfeeding.
Furthermore, under the said law, establishments are required to set-up lactation stations in order to provide compensable time for breastfeeding and lactation periods among working mothers.
The lactation station should be a private clean space furnished with all the necessary equipment such as cooling facilities, sink, electrical outlets, small locker, small table, and seats.
Ms. Diane Coryne Ramos of DOLE said the creation of breastfeeding stations in the workplace will allow young infants to acquire all the essential nutrients and energy they need in order to combat illnesses.
Since breastfeeding is nature’s way to nourish and protect young infants, this will further lead to a reduced number of infant deaths caused by malnutrition and other childhood diseases.
“This will not only benefit the infants but also the mothers since this will give them a chance to fulfill their maternal functions and will cause a delay in resumption of normal ovarian cycles and the return of fertility in most women. It will also help them stay fit since this will help them lose the weight they gained from pregnancy,” she added.
Ms. Ramos also explained how workplaces and establishments can benefit from this since this will yield high employee productivity and morale, less absenteeism among workers and greater company loyalty. This will also improve the company’s ability to attract and retain valuable employees since it will foster a family-friendly image in the community.
With all these benefits, she reiterated DOLE’s campaign of creating lactation stations in the workplace by encouraging the management of the different agencies to provide flexible time and complete facility for their employees’ lactation periods.
Ms. Ramos furthered that the management’s support is a key factor in the success of this advocacy. (CLJD/MJLS-PIA 3)
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- Category: Region 3
On 1 July 2016, the National Nutrition Council-Region III spearheaded the regional launching of the 2016 Nutrition Month Celebration, with the theme “First 1000 days ni baby pahalagahan para sa malusog na kinabukasan!”. The 42nd Nutrition Month celebration was aimed to create awareness on the significance of good maternal nutrition and proper infant and young child feeding practices, particularly, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and giving of appropriate complementary foods on the 6th month while continuing breastfeeding, and the continuum of services in early childhood care and development.
Held at the DOH-Regional Health Office III, Government Center, Maimpis, City of San Fernando, Pampanga, the 2016 NM launch was participated by 100 employees from the national government agencies. One of the highlights of the NM launching activity was the Search for “Gandang Buntis” Contest, participated by nine pre-selected pregnant women who are employees of the national agencies located inside and within the Regional Government Center Compound. The Search aimed to create awareness on the importance of good maternal nutrition and to encourage the pregnant women to initiate breastfeeding within one hour after delivery, practice exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months, introduce appropriate complementary feeding at 6 months while continuing breastfeeding up to two years.
Those who joined the contest did not go empty-handed as the first, second and third prize winners received gift checks worth Php3,000, Php2,000 and Php1,500, respectively. The 6 non-winners received gift certificates worth Php500 each. Other tokens received by the gandang buntis contestants were breastfeeding cover, UNICEF-developed ECCD flyer on the First 1000 Days, Recipe Book on Complementary Feeding, and a vanity kit courtesy of DOH-RHO III.
The selection of winners was made possible by the very competent board of judges from the members of the Regional Nutrition Committee/Regional Technical Working Group, namely: Ms. Lydia F. Sunggod of the NCIP-Region III, Ms. Geraldine V. Sombero of NEDA-Region III and Mr. Roger C. Codnita of DWAY Radio Station and member of Centra Luzon Media Group.
When asked what the gandang buntis contestants appreciated more about the 2016 NM Celebration launching activity was the opportunity to listen to the two lectures on the “Establishment of Lactation Station in the Workplace” by Ms. Margarita Santos-Natividad from the DOH-RFO III and the “Guidelines on Establishing a Lactation Station by Ms. Dianne Corryne Ramos from DOLE-Region III. Presentation of these two competent lecturers can be downloaded from the NNC-Region III website.
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- Category: Region 3
The National Nutrition Council Central Luzon held the Regional Nutrition Committee Strategic Planning (RNCSP) Workshop on 30-31 March 2016 at the Otel Pampanga, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
The 2 day workshop was well attended by the members of the Regional Nutrition Committee from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Commission on Population (POPCOM), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Science and Technology, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), National Food Authority (NFA), Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine National Police (PNP) and selected LGUs from the Provinces of Aurora, Zambales; municipalities of Guagua, Pampanga, Carranglan and Jaen, Nueva Ecija and City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
The workshop was aimed at: 1) assessing the nutrition situation of the region in terms of prevailing nutritional problems and adequacy of ongoing nutrition action; 2) reviewing the relevance of the crafted vision, mission, goals, objectives and budgetary requirements of the RNCSP with the prevailing nutrition situation in Central Luzon and; 3) drafting of the successor RNCSP, 2017-2022, with the integration of current developments and concerns on nutrition in view of the Philippines’s participation in the Scaling Up Nutrition or SUN Movement and with the Framework for Action of the International Conference on Nutrition 2 or INC2.
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- Category: Region 3
The 17th of June 2016 was an enriching day for all the sixteen (16) nominees of the 2015 Search for Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholars in Central Luzon. OIC Ana Maria B. Rosaldo welcomed the 16 contenders and thanked them for their untiring support, dedication and commitment to improve the nutrition situation in their respective barangays. The OBNSs from provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales and the cities of Angeles, Balanga, Cabanatuan, Mabalacat, Malolos, Olongapo, San Fernando, San Jose Del Monte and Science City of Munoz joined the search. A technical update session was staged prior to the examination of all the nominees in the afternoon.
NO III Angelita M. Pasos shared with them a video on the National Salt Iodization Program, the importance of reviving the Bantay Asin Task Forces and the usefulness of Iodized Salt. A short information on the BNS Handbook and the Pinggang Pinoy for the different age groups which will be launched this July was also given. One of the highlights of the enrichment hour was OIC Rosaldo’s briefing about the 2016 Nutrition Month, its objectives and the chosen theme for the celebration “First 1,000 days ni baby pahalagahan para sa malusog na kinabukasan”. Ms. Rosaldo also shared the national and regional nutrition month plans for July.
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- Category: Region 3
The National Nutrition Council Central Luzon’s participation in the Regional Inter-Agency Committee Planning Workshop spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Central Luzon had once again demonstrated the true spirit of collaboration and harmonize efforts to address concerns of children. Held on 16-18 February 2016 at the Lohas Hotel, Clarkfield, Pampanga, the planning workshop was aimed at strengthening the government response in the delivery of appropriate and timely protection services for children.
Highlights of the activity included a presentation on the situation of children in Central Luzon, thrusts and priorities of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), Inter-Agency Committee Against Child Pornography (IACACP), Inter Agency Committee Against Trafficking (IACAT), Inter Agency Committee- Violence Against Women and Children (IAC-VAWC) and Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee (JJWC).
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- Category: Region 3
On April 12-15, 2016, the National Nutrition Council Central Luzon spearheaded the conduct of the Training on Nutrition Program Management at the Redd Manor Condotel, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
The four-day training aimed to build the capacities of selected local nutrition action officers and members of the local nutrition committees (LNC) to effectively plan, implement, coordinate, monitor, evaluate and sustain nutrition programs, in the context of the overall local governance and development system. Using varied training methodologies, participants were given the opportunity to become nutrition program managers and experts in local nutrition assessment, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of local nutrition programs.
As an end course requirement, the participants were required to submit draft local nutrition action plans of their respective local government units. The 3-year plan preparation was among the core activities of the training since the participants are also expected to lead the LNC planning core team when they return to their areas of jurisdiction.
Twenty-four (24) training participants consisted of City/Municipal Nutrition Action Officers, City Nutrition Program Coordinators and members of the city/municipal nutrition committees from Mabalacat City in Pampanga, Gapan City in Nueva Ecija; municipalities of Calumpit and Guguinto in the Province of Bulacan; Orion in the Province of Bataan; Guimba in the Province of Nueva Ecija; Santa Ignacia in the Province of Tarlac; San Felipe, Masinloc, Palauig, and Sta. Cruz in the Province of Zambales, completed the training.
12.5 percent of the participants rated the training as excellent and 8.5 percent as very satisfactory.
