Region VII

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 15 January 2013

Bohol Province – At the start of the year, NNC 7 official and staff rolled up their sleeves and hit the road to conduct monitoring visit of the Promote Good Nutrition in selected municipalities in the Province of Bohol. With PGN training on top of the agenda in 2013, NNC 7 team went to the areas to look at how the program was implemented on the ground. The visit was held last January 8 to 9, 2013. Three municipalities representing the 3 congressional districts of Bohol were randomly chosen, namely: San Isidro, Baclayon and Talibon.

The Promote Good Nutrition (PGN) is a component of the Accelerated Hunger-Mitigation Program (AHMP) that was started in the country in 2007 specifically in 9 priority one provinces and the National Capital Region. It includes the conduct of trainings on Promotion of Good Nutrition for community-based implementers as well as distribution of a number of IEC materials promoting good nutrition particularly the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos. In Region 7, the training started in 2009 in Negros Oriental and Bohol, considered as priority 2 and 3 provinces. A total of 16 cities, 100 municipalities and 1,666 barangays with 6,956 participants have been trained in Central Visayas as of December 2012.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 15 January 2013

Bohol Province – “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Famous words by Benjamin Franklin. Determined to outperform its 2012 accomplishments, NNC 7 personnel led by Dr. Parolita A. Mission, RNPC convened in Muro Ami, Panglao, Bohol last January 10 to 11, 2012 to review the activities of 2012 and plan out and set targets for the year 2013.

A quick review of the activities of 2012 was made. The evaluation was done to elicit feedback from the staff of what were the highs and lows in nutrition program implementation in the region as well as the individual and collective contribution to achieve the thrust laid forth the previous year. After which, a more extensive planning session followed. NNC 7 believes that planning is a critical component of good management and governance.Planning helps assure that an organization remains relevant and responsive to the needs of the local government units it covers and the nutrition stakeholders in the region, and contributes to organizational stability and growth. It provides a basis for monitoring progress, and for assessing results and impact. The process enables the team to look into the future in an orderly and systematic way. It provides a clear focus to the official and staff for program implementation and management of the regional office.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 31 January 2013

Cebu City - “Please! Please not my baby!” She pleaded painfully in horror as soldiers ripped her two year old child from her arms. Squeals, screams, shrieks pierced the streets in what is documented as one of the most horrific, bloodiest periods after the birth of Jesus the Christ. Mothers witnessed how soldiers decapitated babies threw their heads and limbs like abandoned rag dolls. No whimper could be heard as soldiers cut two year olds in a bloody heap. Herod had ordered two year old children killed after learning that a messiah was born and would become King of Humanity and the Prince of Peace.

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet that in Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping and great mourning. The apostle Matthew wrote of Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted.

Much like Herod’s time, there is mourning and weeping in present times as 3.5 million of children under the age of five years die of malnutrition. The 2008 Lancet series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition reports that underlying causes of undernutrition has found millions more permanently disabled owing to poor dietary intake in the earliest months of life.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 28 January 2013

RNCTWG at 1st Q meeting Cebu City - The Technical Working Group of the Central Visayas Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC-TWG) mapped out actions for nutrition for 2013 and affirm their commitment for improved nutrition in Central Visayas. The group convened on 22 – 23 January 2013 at the Aguinaldo Hall, Cebu Grand Hotel, Escario Street, Cebu City for the 1st Quarter RNC – TWG Meeting. The meeting primarily tackled the 2013 Regional Nutrition Action Plan, Regional Nutrition Committee work plan for 2013 and drafting of the 2013 RNC Resolutions.

These documents will be presented to RNC for approval during the 1st RNC Full Committee to be held on 28 February 2013. Before these plans were formulated, the 2012 RNC accomplishments and the Central Visayas Nutrition Strategic Plan 2012-2016 were reviewed.

Also discussed during the meeting were the 39th Nutrition Month Celebration, the MELLPI 2013, monitoring outside MELPPI season, functionality of local nutrition committees and the technical assistance to be given to priority local government units in the region. The new GB-approved Ten Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos were also shared during the said forum.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 29 September 2011

Cebu City - NNC 7 convened the Regional Nutrition Committee – Technical Working Group for their 3rd Quarter Meeting at Adventure Café, Brgy. Gaas, Balamban, Cebu on 16 September 2011. Matters deliberated included the evaluation of the 2011 NM Celebration including the 7th Regional NAO Congress & 2011 Grand Nutrition Awards where the participants gave an overall rating of very good especially on the choice of topics, resource persons and venue. The members of the TWG also drafted an RNC resolution for Nutrition Management in Emergencies and Disasters, discussed the details on the scheduled interagency monitoring of low performing LGUs outside MELLPI season, Magna Carta for Barangay Nutrition Scholars, Local Media Campaign, Integrated Hunger and Improved Nutrition in Convergence Areas, DSWD-funded Nutrition Program Management Trainings and the schedule of RNAP 2012-2013 formulation. The activity also served as team-building of the RNC-TWG.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 28 January 2013

NO III Orpilla at the BHW Congress Cebu City – Unless weight is measured in a mode that is clear, correct, complete and credible, only then can clear, correct, complete and credible response be taken to address nutrition issues.

NNC 7’s NO III Susan Y. Orpilla underscored that Operation Timbang data must possess the four Cs quality that is clear, correct, complete and credible. She made the statement during the Cebu City Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) Congress held on Friday, January 5, 2013 at the Crown Regency Hotel, Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City.

NO II Orpilla talked about the topic, “Operation Timbang: What’s New?” to appraise the Barangay Health Workers on the current development in Operation Timbang (OPT), OPT Plus, the new guidelines, their role in OPT and the different OPT forms. She also presented the OPT data base system.

Operation Timbang (OPT) Plus is the annual mass weighing with the addition of the measurement of length or height of all children aged 0-71 months in the community to identify and locate families with malnourished preschool children, and determine the overall nutrition situation in the area. The mass OPT is done every 1st quarter of the year.