LAPU-LAPU City reaped three awards from the National Nutrition Council in Central Visayas (NNC-7) for outstanding nutrition project implementation during the 2018 Grand Nutrition Awards in Cebu City yesterday.
Barangay Pajac in Lapu-Lapu City was named as Most Outstanding Barangay for the implementation of nutrition-related projects while their Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BNS), Sarah Fuentes, was hailed as most outstanding BNS in Central Visayas.
Barangay Pajac has the lowest count of malnourished children among the 30 barangays of the city. Out of over 2,300 children below five years old, the barangay only recorded four incidents of malnutrition in 2017.
Fuentes attributed the significantly low incidents of malnutrition to their Barangay Nutrition Council (BNC) which implements regular monitoring on nutrition projects such as feeding program in schools and home gardening projects.
Fuentes, 37, a graduate of Bachelor of Secondary Education, is a Gender and Development focal person of the barangay since 2011. She started handling the BNC in 2012.
The BNC tapped women in the community for education on proper nutrition and hygiene through the Hugpong sa mga Kababayen-an sa Pajac.
Lapu-Lapu City, which was also acknowledged for being the Most Outstanding City in the region in terms of nutritional development, recorded the lowest number of malnutrition incidents at 0.8 in 2017 out of over 65,000 population of children below 5 years old. The record shows a drop of 0.3 percent from 2016 data which recorded about 1.1 percent of malnutrition incidents.
Dr. Agnes Cecile Realiza, Lapu-Lapu City Nutrition Action Officer, said they continue to enhance their programs that are anchored on addressing malnutrition.
Realiza said the city has augmented the funds allocated for nutrition projects from P1.5 million in 2017 to P2 million for 2018.
Aside from Lapu-Lapu City, the municipality of Carmen in Bohol was also acknowledged as the Most Outstanding Municipality in the region. The two LGUs have been consistent awardees of the NNC-7 and have been conferred with the Green Banner Award. /Correspondent Rosalie Abatayo