(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 11 December 2024) Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting the western section of Mindanao and Palawan. Shear Line affecting the eastern sections of Central and Southern Luzon. Northeast Monsoon affecting Northern Luzon and the rest of Central Luzon. 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—˜π—”π—§π—›π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Localized Thunderstorms. Possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms. 𝗙𝗒π—₯π—˜π—–π—”π—¦π—§ π—ͺπ—œπ—‘π—— 𝗔𝗑𝗗 π—–π—’π—”π—¦π—§π—”π—Ÿ π—ͺπ—”π—§π—˜π—₯ π—–π—’π—‘π——π—œπ—§π—œπ—’π—‘: Moderate to Strong winds coming from East to Northeast will prevail with slight to moderate seas / (0.6 to 2.5 meters).


Wednesday, 28 August 2024

Caraga nutrition council spearheads the 1st reg’l conference of nutrition advocates, practitioners

By Kelvin Kennt R. Generalo

PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur -- The National Nutrition Council (NNC) Caraga initiated the First Joint Regional Conference of Nutrition Action Officers, District/City/Municipal Nutrition Program Coordinators, and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) on August 15-16 at CN Inland Resort in Rosario, this province.

Representing Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane Jr., Michael Leo C. Torralba, executive assistant to the governor delivered his welcome address and highlighted the governor's commitment and involvement in the big event.

"The primary goal of our gathering is to mobilize local nutrition focal persons to operationalize the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2023-2028 within our respective local government units. We all know that poverty and hunger have been a perennial issue that we wanted to address guided by the Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2 by the United Nations," he said.

"By continuously working together, we can make significant strides towards improving the nutritional status and overall health of our communities. This conference will also serve as a platform to share and learn from each other's good practices in nutrition program implementation," he added.

Dr. NiΓ±o Archie S. Labordo, regional nutrition program coordinator of NNC Caraga, also addressed the participants, encouraging them to view the conference not as an additional task but as an opportunity for growth.

"Let us participate actively and enjoy this conference to learn, refresh, and take a break from our routine work. We are here to unite, share, and connect with others in our field who are essential to implementing nutrition programs," he said.

Assistant Secretary and Executive Director IV of the NNC, Dr. Azucena M. Dayanghirang, congratulated the Caraga region for initiating the conference. She emphasized that effective nutrition champions must also take care of their own well-being and acknowledged the crucial work of nutrition advocates, detailing their activities and essential tasks.

“I always say 'we' because each one of you is a member of the nutrition family working toward a common goal: improving nutrition and ending malnutrition. The underlying determinants of malnutrition include food, behavior, and access to quality nutrition and health services,” she said.

“As I address all the nutrition action officers, district/city/municipal nutrition program coordinators, and barangay nutrition scholars (BNS)—the frontliners in nutrition promotion and advocacy—let us embrace the triple strategy of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) to combat the triple burden of malnutrition. Together, we can advance actions against malnutrition,” she added.

Dr. Dayanghirang encouraged everyone to use the PPAN 2023-2028 as a guide to achieve the goal of adequate nutrition for everyone.

Rogelio M. Guma, psychologist III at the Department of Health - Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (DOH-DTRC) Agusan del Sur, shared insights on "Deal and Pose: Challenges of Nutrition Workers."

"The sign of a normal human is doing what is right, having a philosophy in life, integrated and consistent personality, free expression of personality, adaptability to group norms, adequate self-knowledge, ability to exercise voluntary control over his behavior, know your self-esteem/self- worth/respect, self-acceptance, adequate security feelings emotional maturity, productivity, and lastly ability to form affectionate relationship with others," he said.

"If you notice there is something wrong with you, seek advice immediately, because you need counseling," he added.

He further encouraged the participants to actively participate in the government programs for them to upgrade learning and know their self-worth. He also extended his helping hands in counseling the participants if they are willing to ask his help.

Meanwhile, Dr. Reyveen John B. Geli, nutrition officer IV of the city government of Tandag, shared his experience as the National Outstanding City Nutrition Action Officer for Calendar Year (CY) 2022.

"We are under the city mayor, and one of the advantages of this is that when we organize projects or activities, they are easily implemented because the mayor approves them quickly," he said.

"We need to establish a local nutrition committee and conduct regular meetings with documented minutes. We should also formulate a nutrition action plan and focus on resource generation and budget mobilization," he added.

He also discussed the mobilization and deployment of the maternal nutrition and infant and young child feeding (MNIYCF) community support group during emergencies, as well as the organization of 1,000 life program caravans, its efforts to strengthen nutrition advocacy across all media platforms, and mentioned the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) as an active partner offering free services in information dissemination. 

Gabriel C. Tubigon, nutritionist-consultant for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), addressed the role of information management in effective evidence-based documentation.

"Information management is a systematic process for the collection, collation, storage, processing, verification, and analysis   of data and dissemination to stakeholders, to support effective and timely action," he said.

"The critical considerations to achieve better evidence-based documentation is to have a thorough data collection, critical analysis of evidence, clear and logical structure, regular review and updates," he added.

"We should also have effective communications, verification and cross-referencing, accessibility and usage and lastly privacy and confidentiality must be practiced properly," he elaborated.

The conference motivated the nutrition advocates and practitioners to continue serving those in need in their respective communities. (KKG, PIA-Agusan del Sur)