THE Municipality of Alfonso Lista in Ifugao, the province of Benguet, and the City of Baguio is this year's nutrition awardees during the Regional Nutrition Awarding ceremony on October 13 at Veniz Hotel here.
Alfonso Lista is a contender for the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner on Nutrition (Crown) Maintenance Award at the national level. It emerged last year as the Crown awardee and received P500,000 at the regional level and will be evaluated starting this year by the national assessment team.
If it maintains its status for three years as Crown awardee, it will join the ranks as National Honor Award or Hall of Famer, according to National Nutrition Council-CAR Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Rita Papey. Hall of Famers were Kapangan in Benguet in 1998, Kiangan in Ifugao in 2002 and Ifugao province in 2014.
Crown awardee for the provincial category is the Province of Benguet while the city category is Baguio City. They are expected to receive P500,000 each as cash prize from the national level hopefully within the year, said Papey.
Papey said Benguet and the city governments maintained for three consecutive years their status as Green Banner awardees before they gained Crown awards. Green Banner award is given to a municipality, city or province with the most outstanding implementation of nutrition programs.
The municipality of Tublay, Benguet is the Regional Green Banner Awardee.
Awarded as the provincial most outstanding implementer on nutrition, municipal level Green Banner awardees are Tublay for Benguet; municipality of Hungduan for Ifugao; municipality of Balbalan for Kalinga and Bauko for Mountain Province.
All awardees were given cash incentives from the Department of Health.
Volunteers or Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) who dedicated their work in pushing for health and nutrition services were also recognized with P20,000 for outstanding BNS and P4,000 each for the runners up.
The Regional Outstanding BNS is Imelda dela Cruz Dagupon of barangay Imelda Village, Baguio City here. 1st runner up is Agnes Bulintao of Poblacion, Hingyon, Ifugao; 2nd runner up is Divina Guilanda of Brgy. Sagpat, Kibungan Benguet and 3rd runner up – Herminia Diwayan of Mabaca, Balbalan, Kalinga.
Also recognized are LGUs with consistent decrease in underweight prevalence among pre-school children from 2013-2015. These are the provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, and Kalinga and the City of Baguio. For the municipalities are Boliney, Bucay, Dolores, Lagangilang, Luba, Penarrubia, Pidigan, and Tayum in Abra; Flora, Kabugao, Luna, and Pudtol in Apayao; Buguias, Itogon, Kapangan, Kibungan, Mankayan, Tuba, and Tublay in Benguet; Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Asipulo, Hignyon, Hungduan, Kiangan, Lamut, Mayaoyao, and Tinoc in Ifugao; Balbalan, Pinukpuk and Rizal in Kalinga, and Tadian in Mountain Province.
The municipality of Tublay recorded decreasing prevalence of underweight and less than one percent prevalence rate among pre-school children from 2013-2015.
Barangays with zero prevalence of underweight pr-school children from 2013-2015 are : Benguet – Nawal in Bokod, Calamgan in Buguias, Adaoay and Duacan in Kabayan, and Banengbeng in Sablan; Ifugao – Calimag and Laya in Alfonso Lista, Bitu in Hingyon, Bangbang in Hungduan; Lingay in Kiangan; Banga and Pulaan in Lagawe; and Bongan, Buninan and Langayan in Mayoyao; Kalinga – Ableg and Galdang in Pasil; Mountain Province – Balintaugan in Bauko; Sacasacan in Sadanga; Aguid, Ankileng, Suyo, and Taccong in Sagada; Batayan, Bunga and Tue in Tadian; Baguio City – ABCR, AZCKO, Lower QM, Legarda Burnham, Lourdes Subdivision, Magsaysay Private Road, Queen of Peace, Phil-Am, Upper Quezon Hill, Rizal Monument, and South Drive.
Papey claimed based on the national results, the Cordillera region is better off in terms of underweight, which is one of the indicators of the Millennium Development Goals due to the efforts of the people behind the nutrition program particularly the awardees.
The awardees serve as inspiration to everyone with the hope that they will sustain their work and continue their commitment to address malnutrition, she said. (Susan Aro/ PIA –CAR)