Ms. Rubi C. Apiag has been in the nutrition service for a total of 39 years since 1982. At present, she is the Provincial Nutrition Action Officer (PNAO) and Department Head of the Provincial Nutrition Office of the Province of Marinduque.
As a licensed Nutritionist-Dietitian, PNAO Apiag’s heart has dwelled in becoming a nutrition worker, especially in serving the underprivileged and malnourished children. This started when she was a BS Nutrition college student in Cebu City. According to her, this has become her turning point in developing her passion to serve.
With those things in mind, she continued her journey in the field of nutrition and applied to a position at the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region IV and got assigned in Marinduque, and later became the District Nutrition Program Coordinator of the Province. As a coordinator, she gained experience working with different nutrition action officers (NAO), barangay nutrition scholars (BNS) and even national government agencies (NGAs) and non-governmental offices (NGOs) as well. She was able to have hands-on experience on conducting weighing and monitoring visits, provision of supplementary feeding, conduct of lectures to mothers and to all individuals in the barangays.
With her experience, she can say activities such as meeting and coordinating with different personalities including the governor/mayors, treasurers, barangay captains, and other key personalities were instrumental especially in helping to secure budget and adopt local policy thru ordinance and adoption of nutrition laws & policies.
As a long-time nutrition advocate, she helped in improving the nutrition situation of the province through putting up of the Food Processing Hub, where complementary foods for 6-23 months old children are locally-produced and given free of charge to help improve nutritionally at-risk 6-23 months old children. The distribution of complementary foods such as nutri-marinaya is coupled with the promotion of proper infant and young child feeding and breastfeeding by MNIYCF peer counselors in the barangays as advisers. Other LGUs were also procuring complementary foods produced by the Food Processing Hub, so it can be considered as an enterprise as well, where proceeds are remitted to the Provincial Treasurers Office for additional general fund of the province.
During her 39 years of government service as a Nutrition Worker, the biggest challenge that she had encountered was the high prevalence of malnutrition in 2010 specifically the underweight & severely underweight preschool children at 11.56%. Thankfully, through multiple efforts, this rate has declined to 4.95% this 2021. Some measures that she spearheaded were reviewing the PNAP, MNAPs, & BNAPs to see what items need to be prioritized. With the promotion of the RA 11738, breastfeeding promotion & MNIYCF organized peer counselors, the prevalence rate has greatly improved.
Partnering with other organizations was also instrumental, according to PNAO Apiag. The PNO established coordination with the Diocese of Boac, a non-governmental organization who gave commitments which are visible and are so much appreciated together with all stakeholders from the provincial down to the barangay levels.
PNAO Apiag wishes to express her heartfelt gratitude to the Provincial Nutrition Office family for being so supportive in all the plans and programs, especially to the ever supportive Governor Presbitero J. Velasco Jr. and Chairman, Provincial Nutrition Committee, Sangguniang Panlalawigan, MNCs, BNCs, NNC MIMAROPA for giving us more budgets for our programs/plans, down to the Mayors, SB Members, Barangay Captains & Officials, for the unending support for nutrition.
PNAO Apiag was recognized as Top-Performing Provincial Nutrition Action Officer for 2019 during the 2021 Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony held on 23 November 2021 at the Oracle Hotel and Residences, Quezon City. She virtually received the award through Zoom Application.
Written by: NO III Maria Camille Louise C. Chen and the Provincial Nutrition Committee of Marinduque
