PAISAL O. ABUTAZIL, CESO III
Regional Director
Department of Interior and Local Government Regional Office IX
Keynote Message
At the onset, I wish to extend my gratitude to the organizers of this event – the National Nutrition Council Zamboanga Peninsula for inviting me to grace this very significant event as keynote speaker.
Good nutrition creates health in all areas of our existence. All parts are interconnected. This is the very reason why government is all exhausting necessary efforts to ensure that each and every citizen, pre-school and school children especially, get the proper nutrition they deserve.
Good nutrition is an investment in itself; to see to it that the well-being of all is given priority, NNC, as the policy-making and coordinating body on nutrition, in partnership with our local government units, stakeholders and partners, are committed in realizing their goals – that is nutritional adequacy for all Filipinos.
The conduct of the monitoring and evaluation of local level plan implementation (MELLPI), is an effective tool in assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of LGUs in the implementation of their respective local nutrition action plans.
Local Government Units play a very instrumental role in relationship to nutrition. As in all other aspects of governance. Mahalaga na pagtuunan ng pansin ng ating mga lokal na pamahalaan ang nutritional status ng mga bata sa kanilang komunidad and the nutritional needs and challenges of the entire community.
Your local nutrition action plans, as integrated in your local development plans, outlines your strategies to effectively address and avert nutritional issues, which if not properly addressed, can cause low productivity. Among residents, at a higher extent.
Right and proper nutrition need not to be expensive. All it takes is an affective information and advocacy campaign to make the communities understand the importance of eating right and eating smart.
Today, NNC Region IX is giving credit where credit is due. Efforts of local government units, nutrition advocates, local nutrition teams, communities and champions are worthy of recognition. The level of commitment that this year’s winner and outstanding performers have shown based on the assessment results are valuable contributions towards a more productive and progressive Zamboanga Peninsula.
Mahalaga po and papel ng ating mga LGUs sa usapin ng nutrisyon at pagsisiguro ng kalusugan ng pangkalahatan. Investing in good nutrition pays.
Poverty and malnutrition remain to be our country’s major concerns. However, Government is not comfortably sitting on the couch and watching the situation get worse that it actually is. Government is exhausting all efforts and exploring all possibilities to combat malnutrition at all cost. We have you, our LGUs, as government’s main support mechanism down to the barangay level.
In closing, I affirm that with our children and grandchildren as priorities, we have to start awakening their senses on proper nutrition and making them conscious of their societal role as future nutrition advocates and champions like our honorees today.
Finally, I would like to congratulate this year’s awardees for a job well done. May magagawa po tayo upang labanan at sugpuin ang malnutrisyon. We can do something, and we have to do it now.
Thank you, very much and good morning!
MARILOU Y. CALIBO
Sangguning Panglungsod, Committee on Health
Dipolog City
(Outstanding City in the Region)
Response message in behalf of Hon. Mayor Darel Dexter T. Uy
For and in behalf of the City Government of Dipolog and our Honorable Mayor Darel Dexter T. Uy, I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition and award as outstanding City in the region as nutrition program implementors.
The city of Dipolog welcomes this award with blissful heart and jovial spirit considering that our efforts in fostering nutrition and putting our best practices were recognized. We will forever be grateful. This award motivates us to continue our plight against malnutrition and to eradicate poverty.
Today, we have come to the pedestal of success in the implementation of our mandate as local government unit in partnership with the department of health-national nutrition council, because like anyone of you, we put premium in addressing food safety and security.
Hunger and malnutrition maybe as old as time, centuries ago, the famous Thomas Robert Malthus predicted that population tend to increase faster than the food supply. He held that while food supply. He held that while food supply increase in arithmetical fashion, population expands by geometric progression. Poverty is considered as the end result. However, can be eradicated by making our society rich and that poverty is caused by exploitation.
However, today, poverty is still prevalent despite the opportunities sprouting like mushrooms everywhere. The disparity between the rich and he poor grows wider each day and so is the problem related to food, hunger and malnutrition.
While many of us post on Instagram, twitter and Facebook our food porn is gastronomic adventures. A lot of children are still on the streets putting whatever possible food into their mouth for hunger’s sake.
This must be startling, nevertheless, we need to combat this. It may be an uphill battle, yet we believe in the synergistic approach in dealing with this problem. when stakeholders are duly informed and form the part of a lasting solution, nothing is impossible.
Let us flip back the challenge to ourselves as public servants. Let us look at our mandate with zest and vigor so we can deliver actions and translate idea into change.
Mayor Darel Dexter Uy’s mandate is an inclusive health program that encompasses the eradication of malnutrition. This maybe a long0term goal, but, we have to put our faith in good people of Dipolog and different government agencies, stakeholders and with the help of the almighty GOD.
If sustainability is the question – this is our answer: for as long as we have the heart that cares we will continue to do our share, as long as stimulation still rock our nerves we will be more than happy to serve, as long as we lift our hearts in prayer, ours is a faith that will never swerve, GOD BLESS US ALL.
