This women’s month we will feature some of the notable women who contributed to the advancement of women’s rights and advocating against malnutrition; safeguarding children and women’s health. Today’s feature personality is Mayor Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio also known as Inday Sara. Mayor Inday Sara was born in Davao City on May 31, 1978, and is the daughter of the current Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Elizabeth Zimmerman. She finished BS Respiratory Therapy in San Pedro College in 1999 and later took up a Law degree in San Sebastian College-Recoletos and graduated in 2005. 2 years later her career grew and was elected as Vice Mayor of Davao City from 2007-to 2010. Afterwards, she was re-elected as Mayor of Davao City from 2010 - to 2013. She is now on her second term since 2016 and now currently running for a national position as Vice President in the May 2022 elections.
As Mayor, she was able to continue and promote existing laws and ordinances on health and nutrition. One important example is her approval and signing of the updated version of “Davao City Children’s Welfare Code” in 2016 which was previously approved and signed by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in 1994. It is a local policy that aims to protect the rights of children in terms of survival, protection, participation, and development as well as the role of the family in providing support and childcare from infancy to adolescence. The following are some of the highlights from the code that supports good nutrition for both women and their children:
Article III: Survival and Development Rights of Children
This covers the Under Six Program Framework which aims to maximize the survival and development of children. It includes immunizations, growth and nutritional monitoring, and support for working parents including daycare centers.
1. Reproductive Health Care Center for Pregnant Mothers
The Reproductive Health Care Center is for pregnant mothers which covers prenatal and neonatal care as well as delivery services to remove or minimize risks for both the mother and child and ensure optimal health and survival of both mother and child.
2. Promotion of Primary Health Care Program
This section aims to combat disease and malnutrition by maximizing available resources to provide adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking water by educating parents and providing necessary services to support them. It also aims to monitor the full implementation of the Milk Code of the Philippines to promote breastfeeding and prosecute milk firms that violate the code. This is complemented by massive information campaigns and nutrition education on breastfeeding and child-friendly hospitals in Davao City that have child-friendly units that include rooming-in facilities and child-appropriate environments.
The highlighted accomplishments for nutrition are just among the many public services that the Davao City residents are currently enjoying. It was through the nurturing heart of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte that these nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs were not only prioritized and implemented but constantly upgraded to meet the evolving needs of the at-risk population groups.
In as much as she cares deeply for her constituents, she has also exhibited sincere concern for health and nutrition workers at the community level. She recognizes their importance in the implementation of quality health and nutrition programs. In one of her recent statements, she called for just compensation for the country’s community workers. She was quoted as saying “Our Davao City volunteers worked not more than two to three hours a day because the Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BNS), Barangay Health Worker (BHW), and Barangay Kagawad are also working as volunteers. In that case, they should not be called volunteers and they should be given a standard wage. In that way, their services to the communities will be properly remunerated”.
National Nutrition Council, through its publication “The Ascent of Local Governments in Nutrition in the Philippines: A Compendium of Actions on Nutrition”, even went so far as to recognize the hands-on, visible and action-oriented leadership of Mayor Sarah Duterte in terms of uplifting the health and nutrition situation of the City. The publication further remarked on how she has been an inspiration in the mobilization of key actors to be part of the city’s journey towards nutrition improvement; instilling a culture of action and results-oriented public service and that full budgetary support to nutrition has not been lacking under her leadership.
Indeed, the nurturing heart of a woman is more powerful than we think. Clearly, Mayor Sarah Duterte’s genuine heart for her people, her decisiveness towards the welfare of Davao City’s constituents have been the driving force for her brand of leadership – less words, more action!
/AET
Reference:
[1] Wikipedia (n.d.). Sara Duterte. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Duterte
[2] Palicte, C. (February 5, 2022). Sara eyes better wages, benefits for village workers. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167132
[3] Davao City Children’s Welfare Code
[4] The Ascent of Local Governments in Nutrition in the Philippines: A Compendium of Actions on Nutrition
