Region III

Details: Category: Region 3; Published: 11 February 2019

keynote speaker with ARD Sapno and OIC NPC Rosaldo
The 2018 Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony of Central Luzon was held on 5 December 2018 at 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM at the Orchidarium, Orchid Gardens, Lazatin Boulevard, Barangay San Juan, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

The Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony (RNAC) is the most awaited event of the Local Government Units that were evaluated during the annual Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) and Search for Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholars (ROBNS). The MELLPI aims to monitor and validate the efficiency and effectiveness of the nutrition programs. The MELLPI in Central Luzon was conducted on 23 April to 30 August 2018 by an inter-agency Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team (RNET).

The RNAC is held annually to give due recognition to the LGUs and BNSs with exemplary performance in nutrition program management and in the delivery of nutrition services that eventually improves the local nutrition situation. The RNAC is also a venue to pay tribute to members of the RNET, Nutrition Action Officers and the District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators for their invaluable contribution in the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition in the region.

Details: Category: Region 3; Published: 06 February 2019

GAT Blessings aren’t always material things. One of the best blessings is simple joy.

Who could have thought that a simple, yet meaningful interest will become an initial step towards achieving big accomplishment? It all started with the seeds in the small plastic pots and black, mini-plastic bags of Ms. Ana Maria B. Rosaldo, OIC-Nutrition Program Coordinator of the NNC-Region III. A good starter of a regional contest on vegetable gardening in the Regional Government Center? Yes, with her strong will and patience to nurture various seeds into seedlings, Ma’am Leeza, as she is fondly called by her colleagues and friends was able to produce about 350 seedlings of “kamatis”, “petsay”, “okra” and upland “kangkong” and distributed these seedlings as “token” of appreciation to employees of national government agencies who attended the 2018 Nutrition Month (NM) launching activity.

With these ample seeds and seedlings that were grown for barely two months, she was able to drive the interest of the members of the Regional Nutrition Committee of Central Luzon to join the contest which was conceptualized by the NNC-Region III, in line with the NM celebration.

On 3 July 2018, the NNC-Region III launched the 44^th Nutrition Month celebration with the theme “Ugaliing magtanim, Sapat na nutrisyon aanihin” at the NEDA Regional Office III Conference Room, Regional Government Center, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. The NM launching activity was attended by 145 participants and included a discussion of the Mechanics of the “Gulayan sa Aming Tanggapan” (GAT) Contest. Since animal raising as part of the food garden cannot be established in the government offices, the contest became limited only to planting of vegetables. Inspired by the Edible Landscaping Contest of the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit III (DA-RFU III). NNC-Region III co-sponsored the GAT contest with the DA-RFU III. The contest aims to encourage the establishment of vegetable gardens inside the government office/workplaces and to mobilize their respective staff as stakeholders that can provide a fostering environment for sustainable food gardens.

Details: Category: Region 3; Published: 07 January 2019

“Champions never quit”, as exemplified by the Municipality of Talavera, Nueva Ecija, Mabalacat City and Province of Bataan - three (3) local government units that were recognized as green banner awardees in three different categories during the 2018 Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony on 5 December 2018 at the Orchidarium, The Orchid Gardens, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

The Province of Bataan, among the five (5) contender-provinces, emerged as the 2017 Outstanding Province in the Region; Mabalacat City, although a very young city, beat the 12 other cities in Central Luzon and remain the 2017 Outstanding City in the Region; and the Municipality of Talavera, Nueva Ecija, one of the 116 municipalities in the region, defended its title as the 2017 Outstanding Municipality in the Region.

These LGUs remain CHAMPIONS in the true sense of the word because of dedication, determination and persistence in the implementation of nutrition programs in their respective localities. Indeed, they never quit.

In their third year as green banner awardees, Mabalacat City and the Municipality of Talavera in Nueva Ecija, also received their respective national level award as Consistent Regional Outstanding Winners in Nutrition or CROWN Awards on 31 July 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City. Mayor Nerivi Martinez of Talavera, Nueva Ecija and Mayor Crisostomo Garbo of Mabalacat City, received the cash award of Php500,000.00 for their respective local nutrition committees, along with their CROWN trophies. The CROWN trophy was designed with flames of increasing intensity that symbolizes the ever-increasing desire of the LGU to win the war against malnutrition.

Details: Category: Region 3; Published: 28 January 2019

RNC2 CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Jan. 25 (Ms. Marie Joy L. Simpao, PIA) -- Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) approved three resolutions during its first quarterly meeting this year.

These include the adoption of the Central Luzon Regional Plan of Action for Nutrition 2019-2022, adoption of policy statement on nutrition program for government workers, and adoption of policy statement on fad diets.

In addition, National Nutrition Council (NNC) gave updates on the overall nutrition situation in Central Luzon.

“The levels of undernutrition in the region have been continuously high throughout the years, and based on the Updating of the Nutritional Status of Filipino Children and Other Population Groups conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology in 2015, the prevalence of underweight in Central Luzon is at 16.6 percent, stunting at 23.1 percent and wasting at 7.5 percent,” NNC Regional Program Coordinator Ana Maria Rosaldo said.

She added that aside from these, RNC members should also look at the problems of hunger and food insecurity, maternal undernutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies.

Details: Category: Region 3; Published: 07 January 2019

Bataan Province A statement from one of the awardees that “champions are not the people who never fail but the people who never quit” is but a fitting description of local government units and individuals who were recognized during the 2018 Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony (RNAC) on 5 December 2018 held at the Orchidarium of The Orchid Gardens and Resorts, Lazatin Boulevard, San Juan, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. The event was attended by 290 guests and awardees from the seven (7) provinces and 14 cities in Central Luzon.

The RNAC, NNC-Region III-led activity, is the culmination of the 2018 Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) and Search for the Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar (ROBNS). Both the MELLPI and the Search for the ROBNS are conducted annually by an inter-agency Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team (RNET).

The 2018 RNAC is also a time to: 1) recognize Local Government Units and individuals who have shown exemplary performance in advancing the cause of nutrition in the region; 2) highlight the importance of local actions in improving the nutrition situation, and 3) renew local nutrition networks’ commitment to act in unison, with a common vision of achieving nutritional adequacy for the populace of Central Luzon.

Details: Category: Region 3; Published: 22 January 2019

Nilo Paguio, barangay nutrition scholar of Sto. Cristo, Lubao receives his award as the Most Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar in Pampanga during the 2018 Provincial Nutrition Awarding Cermony held at the Benigno Aquino Hall inside the Capitol Compound. (Nilo Paguio) PIA-Region III -- In a job dominated by women, one man from Lubao town stood out.

His heart beats for public service. While there are many ways to express this passion, he chose a not so convenient and challenging way – that is serving through nutrition.

Nilo Paguio is a barangay nutrition scholar from Barangay Sto. Cristo in Lubao. He is the president of the BNSs in Lubao town and in the entire province. He is also a husband and a father to his only child. With this alone, one can only imagine how he is able to manage his time for his family, doing house to house visits to conduct weighing of children, consolidating reports, attending to seminars and trainings and thinking of innovative ways to generate resources. All these with the end goal of ensuring that no child in his barangay is either under or over-nourished. In short, he has to look after the health and nutritional well-being not only of his own child but of the entire barangay.

What is even more challenging is that as an active BNS, Nilo doesn’t receive salary like that of a typical health worker, only a meager allowance from the barangay amounting to PhP2,250 per quarter. Nilo uses this as traveling expenses whenever he needs to submit reports or attends to meeting at the municipal hall or at the Capitol.

“Despite the minimal monetary remuneration I am receiving, I cannot leave this job because I love what I am doing and I really enjoy doing it,” he said.

In fact, it seems that he really gives his heart out to what he does and is doing his job right because for three years now, not a single child in their barangay is malnourished.

And so, his dedication to implement health and nutrition programs in their community paved the way for him to be recognized as the province’s Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar year after year.

But before he was able to succeed, he shared his fair share of hardships and challenges.

“When I was first appointed as a BNS in 2010, I was already faced with challenges. My predecessor left me with no guide to follow. I was left to rehabilitate six severely underweight and four underweight children and I do not have any idea back then what my role as a BNS is,” Nilo shared. It was this challenge that pushed him to formulate a plan and seek the help of the Barangay Nutrition Committee (BNC) for its implementation.