Maasin City -- Pabasa sa Nutrisyon conducted whole year round, 10-week duration is one of the nutrition education activities being sustained in the City of Maasin, Southern Leyte.

Pabasa sa Nutrisyon is a participative gathering of mothers informally discussing health and nutrition topics and encouraging each other to apply good health and nutrition practices in their homes.

The general objective of the activity is to empower the families as to reduce the vulnerability to malnutrition through the adoption of proper nutrition practices and healthy lifestyle.

The Pabasa is conducted in all barangays of Maasin and is facilitated by the respective Rural Health Midwives, Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) supervised by a very dynamic and active City Nutrition Program Coordinator, Ms. Michelle Marie O. Siega.

The City Nutrition Office strategizes the activity following minimum public health protocols. The 15-20 identified mothers are placed in a big, covered court in the barangay with individual table at one meter distance. Only one mother participant is in a table wearing mask and a ready alcohol.

The Barangay Council with BNS and BHWs helped in the dissemination of the activity, managed the registration and served a simple snack after the session. The BNSs and BHWs also served as resource speakers with the Rural Health Midwives managing the entire session.

After the 10-week duration, mother- participants are again gathered to be acknowledged having graduated in the Pabasa and are given certificate of completion and tokens.

The activity is one attributes why the city maintains its lowest prevalence of malnutrition in all of the 7 other cities in the region.

The activity is complemented by the city’s nutrition specific and sensitive interventions enshrined in the respective Barangay Nutrition Action Plans (BNAPs) and City Nutrition Action Plan.

Maasin City Nutrition Office is headed by a full-time designated City Nutrition Action Officer and the concurrent City Nutrition Officer, Dr. Francilisa I. Tan. The CNO has a separate office in the CHO with separate budget and nutrition staff. 

Maasin City in Southern Leyte is the second Nutrition Honor Awardee (NHA) in Eastern Visayas. NHA is the highest nutrition award in the country which give honor to local government units and nutrition workers who have shown exemplary commitment in improving the nutritional status in their respective areas. #NPC CPDotollo