Ifugao gets nat’l nutrition honor award for work

 LAGAWE, Ifugao – The province was adjudged by the health department and the National Nutrition Council as this year’s recipient of the prestigious Nutrition Honor Ward (NHA) for its nutrition programs that resulted to low malnutrition rate among pre-school children and school aged children over the past six years.

Rita D. Papaey, NNC-CAR regional nutrition program coordinator, said the |Nutrition Honor Award is similar to the Hall of Fame Award being given by award-giving bodies to tap performing individuals and groups who are involved in  implementation of programs and projects.

Papey disclosed Ifugao was able to maintain its Green Banner Award under the category of the province for the first three years and the Consistent Regional Winner on Nutrition (CROWN) under the category of the province over the past three years which resulted to the province being elevated to the Nutrition Honor Award.

“We are elated that a province in the Cordillera has been elevated to one of the most prestigious awards being given by the national government to top performing local governments which are able to sustain the implementation of local nutrition interventions,” Papey said.

Aside from the Nutrition Honor Award trophy, Ifugao will also receive cash reward of P1 million during awarding rites which will still be scheduled by the NNC in Metro Manila by the third week of October.

Corazon Dawong, provincial nutrition program coordinator, said that  in 2008 or before the implementation of local nutrition interventions, there were a total of 1,661 or 7.772% of underweight and severely underweight pre-school children in the province  but with the implementation of the designed nutrition initiatives, the malnutrition rate was lowered to 2.37% this 2014.

Dawong said under the locally-initiated supplemental feeding, nutrition staff, parents and day care teachers usually cook nutritious food, particularly those available in the communities, such as a mixture of organic vegetables, and use the same to feed the children during their break in order to help improve their nutritional status.

Gov. Dennis Habawel lauded the provincial health office and the provincial nutrition staff for being able to formulate local interventions that will compliment other nutrition programs of concerned government agencies that contributed in significantly reducing the malnutrition rate among pre-schoolchildren in the different parts of the province.

He said the provincial government will continue to extend financial and technical assistance to the concerned agencies and offices in the coming years in order to further reduce the malnutrition rate among pre-schoolchildren and make them active members of the society in the future.

In the Cordillera, the regional nutrition award winners include Benguet as the Green Banner Wardee for the provincial level, Baguio City as the Green Banner awardee for the City category and Alfonso Lista, Ifugao in the Municipal Category while Ms. Magdalena Sacpa of Kapangan, Benguet was adjudged the Best Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BNS).