BONTOC, Mountain Province – In a joint effort to enhance child nutrition in this capital town, the Municipal Nutrition Council (MNC) strengthened its ties with various stakeholders.
This initiative was highlighted during the council’s Program Implementation Review and Third Quarter Meeting on August 14, 2024.
The meeting served as a platform for concerned offices to report on the progress of their respective programs, projects, and activities related to nutrition initiatives.
With this, Assistant Municipal Agriculturist Catherine Agcon, representing the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist, reported the distribution of 114 vegetable seedlings to mothers of malnourished children. These seedlings are intended for multiplication and household production to improve the food security and the nutritional status of the community especially in the outskirts of barangays.
Likewise, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office also pledged its support for nutrition initiatives during emergencies, ensuring that the nutritional needs of the community are met even in crisis.
Social Welfare Officer Rachel Ebfan from the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) shared the successful utilization of the supplementary feeding program fund, which has benefitted 485 children enrolled in daycare across 28 child development centers in Bontoc.
Additionally, Municipal Nutrition Action Officer Venous Cofulan announced a partnership with the MSWDO for a 120-day supplementary feeding program. This initiative, funded by the municipal government, aims to provide additional meals to 68 children, supplementing their regular home meals.
Population Development Officer Elizabeth Faba-an, reported that the Population Development Office already started integrating nutrition into family planning initiatives. The office plans to conduct two simultaneous activities in Barangay Guina-ang: a seminar-workshop on Adolescent Health and Development, including Nutrition and Mental Health Wellness for students, and a seminar-workshop on Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning, including Nutrition and Mental Health for parents.
Meanwhile, Eunice Noble, a barangay health worker in Samoki and the president of the Barangay Health Nutrition Scholars (BHNS) group affirmed the BHNS’s dedication to enhancing nutrition in all barangays of Bontoc.
This effort is focused on maintaining the low nutrition risk level reported by Nutritionist Dietitian Myra Simeon of the Department of Health-Provincial Office during the said meeting. By Shannon Anthea S. Pagaduan
