BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Cordillera Regional Nutrition Committee chaired by the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Nutrition Council (NNC) recognized the outstanding local government units and local nutrition focal points for 2023 in the region.
The Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony held on October 17, 2024 at Hotel Supreme, Baguio City is the highlight of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation Pro or MELLPI Pro conducted to assess the progress of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition at the local level.
Candice Salingbay, Nutritionist Dietitian of DOH-CAR and chairperson of the Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team, shared that shared that aside from the recognition of high performing LGUs based on MELLPI Pro categorized as the Green Banner Seal of Compliance, the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN), the National Honor Award (NHA), the Outstanding Local Nutrition Focal Points (LNFPs), the RNC also included high performing LGUs based on the improvement of malnutrition prevalence, and the Operation Timbang Plus Results.
For the Green Banner Seal of Compliance, there were 18 LGU awardees, namely; Benguet Province, Mountain Province, Tabuk City, the municipalities of Atok, Bakun, Bokod, Itogon, Sablan, La Trinidad and Kibungan in Benguet, the LGUs of Aguinaldo, Banaue, Hingyon, Hungduan, and Lamut in Ifugao, Balbalan in Kalinga, and Barlig and Bontoc in Mountain Province.
The CROWN award was presented to the municipality of Asipulo, Ifugao. For the Regional Outstanding LNFPs, Venous Faith Cofulan of Bontoc, Mountain Province was awarded as the Regional Outstanding Municipal Nutrition Action Officer, Myrna Holanio of Baguio City as the Regional Outstanding District Nutrition Program Coordinator, and Minda Matunno of Barangay Camandag, Asipulo, Ifugao as the Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar. Awarded as Quality Nutrition Program Implementers were Baguio City, Ifugao Province, the municipalities of Kapangan and Tublay in Benguet, and Alfonso Lista in Ifugao.
Special awards were also given to LGUs with consistent decrease in stunting prevalence among 0-59 months children from 2021-2023, and LGUs with below 10 percent stunting prevalence among 0-59 months children in 2023 based on Operation Timbang Plus results. LGUs with newly hired permanent nutrition staff pursuant to Executive Order 138 s. 2021, or the “Mandanas Ruling” were also recognized.
The awardees were Mountain Province, Tabuk City, Atok, and Bokod in Benguet, Lamut in Ifugao, and Pilar and Lagayan in Abra.
For the Best Barangay Nutrition Committee as conferred by the province/city, the awardees were Atok Trail in Baguio City, and Amduntog, Asipulo in Ifugao. Benilda Guzman, MNAO of Langiden, Abra, was recognized as the Nutrition Action Officer Retiree.
All the provinces and cities in the region were evaluated using the MELLPI Pro Tool. (JDP/MAWC-PIA CAR)
