Region VII

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 15 June 2015

Cebu City – In the midst of the current issues on rising human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection cases among males who engage in sex with males and increasing malnutrition rates among infant and young children in Cebu, NNC 7 helps the Cebu Provincial Health Office and the Cebu Provincial Nutrition Committee in their resolve to reduce deaths of infants and children below years five years old, untimely death of mothers, halt HIV/AIDS and improve service delivery network during the Department of Health’s High Impact 5 (Hi-5) Summit on 08 June 2015.

Held at the Cebu Provincial Capitol Social Hall, Cebu City, the summit showcased best practices and other interventions done to serve for the program’s major concentration namely: Maternal Care, Infant Care, Young Child Care, HIV/AIDS interventions, and Service Delivery Network.

It is to be noted that aside from the new making increase of HIV cases in the province esp. in Cebu City, it is also to be recognized that in 2014, the Cebu province had a 8.16% undernutrition rate among children 0-5 years old, claiming the highest spot among the provinces of Central Visayas, NNC 7 thus doubles its efforts in leading local nutrition committees in preventing the malnutrition rate to go up further.

As a contribution, the NNC 7 gave focus on the importance of good maternal, infant and young child nutrition as the best foundation to good health, giving emphasis on the community actions against nutrition such as the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and strengthening of local nutrition committees.

To double its efforts, NNC 7 together with the Provincial Nutrition Committee used the summit as a venue to advocate for the strengthening of local nutrition programs to Local Chief Executives and Nutrition Action Officers who came to the event through the giving of IEC materials and advocacy talks.//NGS

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 13 February 2015

Cebu City – Nostalgic and very grateful, the Regional Nutrition Committee – Technical Working Group of Central Visayas bid their former chairperson, Mr. Rafael “Boy” M. Tagalog Jr. adieu during the 1^st Quarter RNC-TWG Meeting at the Golden Peak Hotel, Cebu City on 05 February 2015.

Armed with pens (to represent Mr. Tagalog’s technical writing expertise and intellect) attached with a small note, each of the RNC-TWG members talked about how “Sir Boy”, as he is endearingly called, has mesmerized them with his quick wit and intellect, his attention to detail and how he has somehow managed to simplify complicated nutrition intervention into something doable.

To motivate his former colleagues, Mr. Tagalog in return, voiced how thankful he was of the recognition that the body of his efforts in nutrition, also sharing that complicated things can always be simplified and the importance of sharing what you know for the benefit of all.

Mr. Tagalog who represented the National Economic and Development Authority 7 in the RNC-TWG activities since the early 1990’s and who has helped mold the committee into what it is today is considered as one of the many great pillars of the region 7’s nutrition program implementation, especially in the drafting of RNC resolution proposals. He served as the RNC-TWG chair from 2002 to early 2009 and have been supporting the committee despite him having to vacate his spot as RNC-TWG member because of a promotion. // NGS

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 13 January 2015

New Hanging Weighing Scales ready for distribution for LGUs Cebu City- True to its words, the National Nutrition Council Region 7 is now poised to distribute promised weighing scales to Local Government Units (LGUs) who have recently trained their barangay nutrition scholars on the Basic Course for Barangay Nutrition Scholars and/or the World Health Organization-Child Growth Standards (WHO-CGS).

The distribution of the monitoring tools as part of the region’s campaign for capable frontline nutrition workers with a functional standard monitoring tool is a bid to improve local monitoring of children’s nutritional status, a venue for the local nutrition committee to identify priority beneficiaries.

As an incentive to local nutrition committees who have allocated resources for capability building of their barangay nutrition scholars, the region hits two of the most prominent monitoring problems at the local level.

Various monitoring activity results show that LGUs have a relatively high malnutrition rate in their Operation Timbang results not only because of the declining nutritional status of children but also because, in some instances, frontline nutrition workers have not undergone appropriate capability building activities such as the WHO-CGS training or are not aware of their roles and responsibilities as learned from the Basic BNS Training Course.

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 28 January 2015

Cebu City - NNC 7 starts a vigilant campaign to put a dent in the malnutrition rate of Central Visayas through a more proactive scheme of actions in 2015, running along the theme of “LNC nurturing".

Decided upon by the NNC 7 staff during their 2014 year-end review and 2015 planning activity on 13-14 January 2015 at the Pacific Cebu Resort, Lapu-Lapu City, the scheme focuses on the an active campaign to help the four (4) provinces, sixteen (16) cities and all the towns and barangays activate their local nutrition committees (LNC). That said the staff and its networks, led by NPC Parolita A. Mission will be spending much time and effort in the communities advocating for nutrition sensitive activities in the area, monitoring and giving technical assistance and mentoring and doing capability building activities for nutrition workers. In order to do so, an intensive mapping of vulnerable local government units (LGUs) has been started using recent Operation Timbang Plus and the 2013 National Nutrition Survey results to identify priority LGUs.

NNC 7 networks such as the Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) and its Technical Working Group (RNC-TWG), the Media Information Network for Nutrition and Development 7 (MIND 7), the Central Visayas Association of Nutrition Action Officers (CeVANAO), Nutrition Program Coordinators Association of Region 7, Inc. (NPCAR 7) and the Federation of Barangay Nutrition Scholars Association of Region 7, Inc.(FeBaNuSA 7) will be mobilized to target different levels of nutrition workers and nutrition related agencies in the LGUs./NGS

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 13 January 2015

PGN IYCF Training Accomplishment - 13 Jan Cebu City – Central Visayas gears up for the final rounds of Promote Good Nutrition-Infant and Young Child Feeding (PGN-IYCF) Trainings in its Priority 4 areas of Cebu and Siquijor Provinces, the last of the region’s four provinces to be trained, and vows to continue the program as it has overwhelmingly affected the region’s nutrition status.

With only ten (10) batches left for 2015, the region has allocated nine (9) batches for Cebu province and one (1) for Siquijor province, all aimed to be conducted on the first half of the year, the trainings will be done by the local nutrition committee’s PGN-IYCF trained personnel and will be targeting Barangay Nutrition Scholars, Barangay Health Workers, mother leaders, Day Care workers and community leaders as participants.

The trainings targets the municipalities of Boljoon, Tudela, Poro, Catmon, San Remegio, Tabogon with two batches to be conducted with a mixed group of municipalities from Cebu and a batch from the municipality of Lazi in Siquijor.

Funded by the National Nutrition Council and with local government counterpart usually for venues, the series of trainings that have started in 2007 as part of the then Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program has instigated a positive effect in the region’s nutritional status decreasing Region 7’s malnutrition rate from 7.49% in 2009 (start of barangay roll-outs) to a 5.66% malnutrition prevalence rate in 2013, based on the Operation Timbang results.

Having already completed trainings in the provinces of Bohol and Negros Oriental in 2012 and having accomplished 94% of the trainings for Cebu and Siquijor Provinces, the National Nutrition Council 7 is now pegged to change focus from capability building to monitoring the breastfeeding support groups and giving technical updates in order to continue the program’s effect in the community.

Heavily invested on, the National Nutrition Council 7 now seeks to continue the positive outcomes of the PGN-IYCF program specifically in the promotion of proper and exclusive breastfeeding as well as appropriate complementary feeding and inculcate guardians, particularly mothers with a positive attitude towards proper health and nutrition. //NGS

Details: Category: Region 7; Published: 28 January 2015

Cebu City- With the aim to increase public awareness on the prevention and control of goiter and Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD), the National Nutrition Council 7 and the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force 7 (RBATF 7) celebrated the Goiter Awareness Week (GAW) on 26-30 January 2015. Presidential Proclamation No. 1188 signed in 2006 declared every 4th week of January as GAW.

Themed "Goiter Sugpuin, Isip Patalinuhin, Iodized Salt Gamitin", this year's observance was highlighted with a media advocacy that emphasized on the utilization of quality iodized salt. Based on the latest random test conducted by the RBATF 7 thru the Department of Science and Technology 7, only about 1/4 of the salts in the market in Central Visayas were adequately iodized.

The week-long celebration commenced through an AGIO Forum with Dr. Parolita A. Mission (NPC, NNC 7), Dr. Marlon T. Co (President, Cebu Medical Society) and Mr. Eric Brian Umerez (Cebu Based OIC, Salinas Foods, Inc.) as panel members. The conference was organized by NNC 7 with the Philippine Information Agency-Central Visayas and DYMR Radyo ng Bayan to apprise the public thru the media on the goiter and Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) situation in the region, status of the salt iodization program and the role of the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force and to promote the use of quality iodized salt.

The event was followed by a series of media advocacy including radio and television guestings, cooking demo of iodine-rich menu over Buena Mano Balita of GMA 7,press releases, and social media posts and lay fora in the different hospitals in the region. This was actively taken part by the members of the RBTF 7, local government units, media and other stakeholders.