Quezon City – During the 2020 Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony (RNAC) last December 10 ( via Zoom Video Conferencing and Facebook Live), the City of Biñan and Municipality of Sariaya were hailed as “Nutrition Champion Awardees for COVID-19 Response” -- while the DOH Calabarzon was recognized for its “Outstanding Response during the COVID-19 Response”
City of Binan. Through the leadership of Mayor Walfredo “Arman” Dimaguila, the city of Biñan has implemented various nutrition interventions to ensure the nutritional status of Biñanenses. From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, their Nutrition Cluster regularly met to discuss strategies to protect and promote good nutrition.
The city was able to successfully intensify the promotion of breastfeeding through the reactivation of the City Resolution No. 116-A, series 2019. The Resolution Adopting Executive Order 51, or the Milk Code, adheres to the National Nutrition Cluster Advisory No. 1 (to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding, and not allow milk donations, not accept and not include them in the general distribution of emergency food packs).
Their activities were followed by strict monitoring of the donations received in the barangays from the City Social Welfare and Development Office, in coordination with the barangay officials.
The city’s Mayor Dimaguila has also been joining the regular radio program, “UNO – Usapang Nutrisyon On-air,” to discuss the importance of maintaining good nutrition amid the pandemic .
Municipality of Sariaya. In the Municipality of Sariaya, the pandemic was what motivated them to continuously and vigorously conduct their nutrition interventions, particularly for the First 1000 Days programs.
The municipality’s innovative “Meals on Wheels” greatly supported undernourished and nutritionally-at-risk children with the distribution of mother and baby kits for 175 pregnant women. Their “Nutrition Education” sessions’ participants were also give hygiene kits, transportation assistance, meals, dental check ups and cash grants during the emergency assistance.
As the pandemic was prolonged, the LGUs capacitated the Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) who were the main actors in delivering nutrition interventions in the grassroots level. They provided the BNSs training on “Nutrition in Emergencies,” “News and Feature Writing,” and “Broadcasting” for the Nutriskwela Radio Station, Radio Kaisahan 107.7 FM. The radio program was able to showcase success stories of the beneficiaries.
DOH. DOH IV-A has been actively assisting and supporting all RNC responses during emergencies and disasters. They were able to intensify the promotion of nutrition programs by issuing eight nutrition-related advisories and memorandum relative to and in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Several nutrition services and activities were also conducted to help in advocating nutrition and breastfeeding. Among them are their “Social Media Account,” and the “Mother Baby Friendly Calabarzon FB Page.”
The media strategies were used to coordinate with local nutrition coordinators in LGUs and with “Mother Support Groups” to answer questions about nutrition and breastfeeding, to provide online counselling and to post their IEC materials. Together with the “Mother-Baby-Friendly Philippines” App, the media accounts were also used to monitor the implementation of milk code.
Given the significant recognitions, the National Nutrition Council - Calabarzon hopes that the other LGUs and municipalities, as well as regional line agencies will follow the lead and be more inspired in conducting initiatives to promote and deliver effective and timely nutrition interventions to its constituents particularly in time of emergencies and disasters. More passionate involvement cushion the impact of emergencies and disasters and pave the way for sustaining the nutritional status of nutritionally at-risk population.
By: Ma. Jhonnadelle Ritz H. Castillo
