GINGOOG City is vying for the Nutrition Honor Award (NHA), the highest award given by the Department of Health (DOH) to a local government unit that is able to sustain and improve health programs benefiting the residents.
The local government unit should be able to obtain the grades ranging from 98 percent to 100 percent, to be determined by the members of the national evaluation team composed by the National Nutrition Council of DOH, in order to receive the Nutrition Honor Award.
"We do this effort not because of the award but because this is right and just for our malnourished children whose lives could have been worsened if CNC (City Nutrition Council) movers have not performed their tasks efficiently and effectively," Gingoog City Mayor Marie de Lara Guingona said.
City Health officer doctor Grace Jadol, for her part, said that prior to the political entry of Guingona, Gingoog City has been keeping a record of malnourishment with prevalence rate of 14.3 percent.
In order to reduce the prevalence rate, a program called "An Egg a Day, Drives a Malnourished Away" was implemented.
“Our city is now waiting for the result and pronouncement from DOH’s central office after its evaluators had conducted an ocular and factual evaluation last December 2018. We are very hopeful that our orchestrated undertakings manifested by our committed stakeholders from the national, local and civic entities will always be fruitful and successful for the right of our malnourished children," City Nutrition Action officer Elmer Risonar said.
Gingoog City has been the recipient of the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner on Nutrition award for two years, receiving P300,000 cash award during the first year and P500,000 in the second year. The city is hoping to receive NHA's P1 million cash award this 2019.