Outstanding barangay nutrition scholars awarded

October 21, 2017 Community Billboard

BAGUIO CITY – The National Nutrition Council (NNC) Cordillera has awarded four nutrition program implementers for winning this year’s search for the most outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) regional level.
The awardees were conferred on Thursday afternoon (October19) after garnering the highest passing rates in the evaluation.
The inter-agency nutrition evaluation teams at the provincial and regional levels are in charge of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI). In conjunction with the MELLPI, the evaluation team also assessed the performance of the BNSs, the frontliners in the delivery of community level nutrition services.
Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Rita Papey of NNC-CAR said, “The awarding program is to recognize the BNS who made the most exemplary performance in implementing various nutrition programs to combat malnutrition in their barangays. Their achievements which are a product of wit, perseverance, hard work and effective leadership deserves worthy recognition.”
This year’s most outstanding BNS is Imelda Dela Cruz Dagupon of Brgy. Imelda Village, Baguio City. Dagupon begun to be involved in fighting malnutrition when she became a BNS.
During their visit into the neighborhood to distribute medicines, she noticed that parents are having the classic dilemma of what to have for breakfast and how to make it healthy and appropriate for their school children. The same dilemma is experienced during lunch and dinner. But it is more challenging when a parent is trying to prepare nutritious food that is within a budget.
Thus, she introduced the “Labay Mo, Ibos Mo” as an innovation practice which serves two programs, the “Guide Menu” and the “Feed Back Mechanism”. She supported the research and work on the perfect menu, simple recipes, budget friendly and nutritious snacks for the school children. Included in the menu are easy to prepare but eye-catching viands that focus on nutritious foods.
“These achievements and efforts make a community a better place to live in. The children are not only happy but also healthy. What is also good is that mothers are taught how to make these meals appropriate for their kids,” Papey said.
For the past years, the country’s plight against malnutrition was never easy. In the survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) in 2015, Philippines suffers from double burden of undernutrition and overnutrition especially the children.
In response the problem, the national government launched the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN). This program serves as the backbone for the DOH and NNC to free the country from malnutrition by 2022.
The other winners are: Glenda C. Kiasao of Brgy. Little Tadian, Alfonso Lista, Ifugao (1st runner up); Oliva A. Capsula of Brgy. Paoay, Atok, Benguet (2nd runner up); and Elsie M. Dawangon of Brgy. Maling, Balbalan, Kalinga (3rd runner up).
Local Government Units were also awarded during the program for their exemplary performance in implementing nutrition programs. DIONISIO DENNIS JR. / ABN