TACLOBAN CITY– The city government of Maasin City is among the three local government units vying this year’s Nutrition Honor Award (NHA), highest nutrition award conferred by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) annually.
This was announced last week by newly- designated Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator for Eastern Visayas Dr. Catalino Dotollo who said that a multi-sectoral member-team will make pre-evaluation in Maasin City during the Holy Week.
Assistant Secretary of Health and NNC’s Executive Director Maria-Bernadette Flores will lead the inter-agency National Evaluation Team (NET) in conducting the validation visits to these LGUs from April to May 2014.
“The NNC-8 gives its full support to the city of Maasin as they vie for nutrition’s highest award. They have passed many resolutions last year in support for the nutrition programs and to engage the people of Maasin to actively participate the local government unit’s nutrition programs,” Dotollo said.
According to Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco, they are hopeful they can bag the highest award this year, having worked hard for the good nutrition and the best interest of the pre-school and school-aged children of the city.
Last year, Maasin bagged the Crown Award for the second time with P500, 000 as cash incentive. The cash prize was used to further curb malnutrition and improve the nutrition needs of the children of the city.
“This is a challenge to us because Maasin City has 85,200 population based in the 2010 Census. To have a healthy populace, this is a big nutritional challenge,” Samaco said.
The other LGUs vying for the award are the Ifugao Province in the Cordillera Administrative Region and the municipality of Lal-lo, Cagayan in Region II according to the NNC website.
Annually the NNC honors LGUs that have shown efficient and effective management of their nutrition program consistently for the past five years.
The nutrition programs of the LGUs are expected in the low prevalence of underweight among its pre-school and school-age children.
The awardees of NHA will get a cash prize incentive of P1 million. In 2011, the municipality of Limasawa, Southern Leyte won the Nutrition Honor Award. It was the first for the province and the Eastern Visayas region. (VICKY C.ARNAIZ)
