Lone Metro Manila city bags nutrition award

A child, diagnosed for malnutrition, recuperates in a hospital with assistance from a global humanitarian agency Action Against Hunger in this file photo. AP PHOTO / BULLIT MARQUEZ

As the National Nutrition Council (NNC) monitors and recognizes local government units for their nutrition programs being implemented in the local level, only one city in Metro Manila that made it to the 2nd Year Consistent Regional Outstanding Winners in Nutrition (CROWN) Maintenance award.

Taguig City became the sole recipient of the second CROWN Maintenance award from among the National Capital Region and this is a step closer to a higher recognition scheduled next year.

The NNC finds the nutrition program of Taguig quite unique and consistently benefit local residents.

During the 2018 Nutrition Awarding Ceremony held at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City, Taguig joined the other exemplary nutrition program implementers, which include the municipality of Pamplona in Negros Oriental; Ilagan City in Isabela; Baguio City; Gingoog in Misamis Occidental; and the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay and South Cotabato. Winners of this award are automatically candidates for prestigious Nutrition Honor Award (NHA) the following year.

“It is an honor for our beloved city to receive its 2nd Year CROWN Maintenance Award –an award that serves as a testament to our city’s collaborative hard work in providing quality health programs for our constituents,” Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano said.

A plaque and P200,000 cash prize were conferred by the NNC to the Taguig City Nutrition Committee members.

Recognized through the award are the city’s programs aimed at eradicating malnutrition — the  “Laging Alagaan Nutrisyon ni Inay” where pregnant women especially those still in their teenage years are taught a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle to ensure a safe pregnancy, the “Operation Timbang Plus” (OPT+) in which the height and weight of children 0-5 years old in each barangay are collated in order to determine the child’s nutritional status (either underweight, severely underweight, wasted, severely wasted, stunted, severely stunted,  overweight, obese, normal) and from there, come up with programs such as exclusive breastfeeding for infants from 0-6 months and appropriate complementary feeding programs.

Taguig also has the Dietary Supplementation Program under which undernourished children in the city are fed for 120 days to help them get the nutrition their bodies need.

It also encourages families with children to set up their own urban community vegetable gardens by providing seedlings, planting materials and conducting farming classes.

“I am beyond grateful to all those involved that we have achieved this prestigious recognition. With this outstanding collaborative effort, we are now one step closer in achieving the National Nutrition Council’s top award – the Nutrition Honor Award, which will serve as a legacy that our administration never stops its fight against malnutrition,” the lady mayor said.

With the conferment of the 2nd Year CROWN Maintenance Award, the city now aims for the NHA, which is the highest award given by the NNC to the recipients of the CROWN Award.

For three consecutive years (2013 to 2015), Taguig City was awarded the prestigious Green Banner award by the NNC-National Capital Region (NNC-NCR). The recognition is given to local government units that displayed an outstanding performance in implementing its nutrition programs.

This consistent performance allowed Taguig City to receive the CROWN Award in 2016 and 1st Year CROWN Maintenance Award in 2017. JPV