List of Nutrition Action Office Programs

 Ano po ang gingawa ng inyong opisina upang masolusyunan ang mga problema sa kalusugan at diet ng mga kababayan natin?

Yes, gaya nga ng nabanggit ko we have the Local Nutrition Action Plan wherein nakapaloob dito iyong ibat ibang local programs, projects and activities na gagawin natin sa isang taon.
Simulan ko siguro sa program natin sa mga buntis- We have the first ever 90 Day- Dietary Supplementation Program for Pregnant Women, usually kasi mga bata lang ang finifiding diba, pero just few years ago they found out that effective din pala masolusyunan ang malnutrisyon during the first 1000 days of life which ang simula is sa pregnancy-Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. or them which started last year in our municipality thru the National Nutrition Council grant nakapagakain tayo ng 900 na buntis halo halo na ito low bmi and normal bmi at since maganda iyong turnover kasi noong sinundan naming sila yung birth weight ng mga babies nila 92% of their babies have normal birthweight of course iyong discrepancy is either nagkasakit iyong nanay or talagang high risk iyong nanay o super payat talaga. So since effective sya this year irereplicate naten itong DSP for Pregnant with our own funding naman sa LGU targeting the nutritionally at risk pregnant women so bibigyan naten sila ng fresh milk, eggs, iodized salt, biscuits and fruits. Nakabidding na po sya and hopefully we can implement during mid of 3rd quarter to 4th quarter of the year.

We have Infant and Young Child Feeding Program- focus is about breastfeeding and complemementary feeding- dito meron tayong its more of educating mothers or caregivers so forums sya. This year we have plans to assess also our breastfeeding support groups at padamihin pa sila sa barangay kasi we believe exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months coupled with proper complementary feeding 6 months and beyond would make our babies healthy and nutritionally sound, so we are also investing on this- partner naten dito ang RHUs ang ating mga Doctors, midwives, nurses, health and nutrition workers sa barangay. Lalo ngayong Covid 19 pandemic dba wala pa naming bakuna para sa mga baies, so ang breastmilk ang first line of defense nila laban sa mga sakit. So mahalagang programa po ito na matutukan. Kakambal ng Infant and Young Child Program naming ay ang First 1000 Days Program na matagal na din nating ipinapatupad sa ating bayan. Actually, iyong unang 2 nabanggit ko ay nakapaloob dito sa First 1000 Days Program plus dito aside sa tinuturan naten ang mga mothers about breastfeeding and complementary feeding nagcaconduct din tayo mg ECCD Checklist Child Developmental Milestone Assessment, so nagtrain din po ang LGU in coordination with the National Nutrition Council ng mga BNS through our office para maassess ung developmental milestones ng mga bata edad 0-2 years old, so may checklist nun at ang office naming we monitor kung nagagawa iyon ng ating mga nutrition workers, nagpamigay na din tayo ng mga checklistat gamit para doon, at kung may developmental delay iyong bata irerefer po sa ating mga Doctors and specialists.. so far sa mga assessments last 2 years halos wla naman mga developmental delays na need ng urgent referral in terms of developmental milestones. Year-round po ang mga ito.

Next iyong nabanggit naming kanina na Operation Timbang Plus in coordination with our Rural Health Units. Sumasama po ang ating opisina sa pagmonitor ng nutritional status ng lahat ng batanga edad 0-59 months na mga bata sa Bayan. Mahalaga na maassess sila para malaman, ilan ang malnourish, ilang ang seserbisyuhan, asan silang part ng bayan, etc. Data pool po ang kinukuha naming dito

Through the initiative din po ng ating Nutrition Office na, yearly ding nabibigyan ng free weight calibration via DOST ang mga timbangan na ginagamit sa 77 na barangays ng Bayambang. Last 2020 lang iyong sinagot na ng barangay ang calibration kasi kasama na iyon sa kanilang Barangay Nutrition Action Plans this is to make sure na hindi sira ang ginagamit na mga timbangan sa barangay kasi pwedeng magcause un ng false positive result ng malnutrition. Hindi lang inensure na maayos ang timbangan pati po ung mga gamit sa pagkuha ng length at height ipinamigay din po ng LGU thru NNC grants ang 77 na mounted heightboards para sa mga barangays. At this year nasa plano din po na bumili naman ng mga infantomenters to measure length of babies naman ung height board pwede syang gawing lengthboard pero mas convenient gamitin ung infantometer. So you we always include in the plans iyong improvements even ng mga gagamitin sa barangay.

Now, iyong mga naassess sa OPT Plus na mga malnourished- underweight, stunted at wasted, inienrol naman naten po sila sa Routine Dietary Supplementation Program for 6-59 months children for 3 months to rehabilitate them, nagsimula po ito year 2016 minaintain na po naten until this year at sa mga susunod pang mga taon to ensure ung recovery ng mga affected children lalo na during the pandemic. Ito na po iyong regular feeding program naten sa mga malnourish na bata. Last 2019 pa even before Covid 19, in the form of food packs na naten sya binibigay- may gulay, prutas, itlog, tinapay, mantika, asukal, Iron-fortified rice, biskwit. At last year nakakatuwa kasi kumuha tayo ng madaming fresh supplies sa ating mga farmers sa tulong MDRRMO funds din nadagdagan ung pafeeding naten last year at nakatulong pa sa mga farmers. This year, ipapatupad ulit itong Feeding Program for 6-59 month old children  until 3rd-4th quarter of the year.

Kasabay din po ng pamimigay naten ng food packs sa mga malnourished children,  binibigyan din po naten ng multivitamins ang mga naassess pa naten although out the year na mga bata na hnd macocover ng feeding.

Speaking of feeding may feeding activity din tayong ginagawa this year simula nug mag umpisa ang Komprehensibong Serbisyo sa Bayan Year 4, so namimigay din tayo doon ng fresh fruits and eggs door-to-door sa mga pre-assesd na malnourished children. Kung papasan na laging may eggs and fruits diba, kasi egg is considered na superfood for children and buntis may high biologic value protein, may fats, may choline which is good for the brain specifically memory and muscle control; may folate na needed sa rapid growth. So hinding hindi naming winawala ang eggs sa food packs. Fruits sources of fiber and various vitamins to also boost the immune system.

Our office also conducts monitoring of bakeries and retail stores selling fortified products like sa bakeries chinecheck naten if gumagamt sila ng vitamin A fortified flour at sa mga retail stores if nagbebenta sila ng iodized salt at vitamin a fortified cooking oil. We encourage retail store owners to follow our Municipal Ordinance No. 2, series of 2020 use and sell fortified products for consumers well-being. This is in parallel with Food Fortification Act RA 8976

Our office is also involved in monitoring backyard gardens in households especially sa mga target beneficiaries naten, with the help of our Municipal Agriculture Office for the past years we provided gardening inputs through the First 1000 Days Program at until now minomonitor po naten ung impact sa knila and we sustain it by giving fresh produce or seedlings from our ECCD F1K Greenhouse managed by MAO Office so kami iyong nagcocoordinate for the beneficiaries, kasi we all know na yes, pansamantala lang ang feeding we also to teach them to have their own sustainable food sources lalo ngayong pandemya narealize naten na paano pag tumagal pa ung lockdown iba pa din pag may pagkukuhanan ka.

We are also tasked to monitor school nutrition programs specifically if nagseserve sa mga school canteen ng nutritious option so nag start kami in 2019 nilibot naming lahat ng schools during opening of classes, natigil lang last year syepre wlang pasok pero as soon magresume we will also monitor school canteens.

Pagdating naman po sa capacity building, kasi our office din po is mandated to conduct trainings not only to mothers in the barangays but also to nutrition workers iyong mga katuwang naten sa barangay na mga Barangay Nutrition Scholars and Barangay Health Workers naisasama din po, so tayo po since 2016 nagbibigay sakanila ng ibat ibang basic training courses like BNS Basic Course, e-OPT Plus Trainings, CGS, ECCD Card refresher trainings, ECCD F1K Phase1-3 trainings,DOST-pinoy Trainings, Nutrition Early Warning System Trainings, all thes to capacitate them mula sa simpleng paano magtimbang nabata ng tama hanggang sa paano magcounsel ng Nanay, paano mag assess ng bata ng buntis, etc. so dapat well equipped po sila. Dahil sa knila nagfoflow iyong ibat ibang PPAs mula sa National Government, so it is our plan lagi to equip them.

Speaking of equipping the Barangay Nutrition Scholars, kami din po ang office na directly pinagrereportan nila at nag aassess ng mga performances nila based on their Accomplishment reports. And for the past years nakakatuwa po kasi nung 2016 wala pa sa 20 ang BNS, since umupo si Mayor pinakumpleto nya na dapat may BNS sa bawat Barangay KASI SILA IYONG FOCAL PERSON SA BARANGAY, at dito sa Bayambang nabibigyan po sila ng karagdagang honorarium so aside sa honorarium na natatanggap nila sa Barangay, through the Municipal Nutrition Committee yearly din po silangna nabibigyan additional honorarium from LGU of course based also on their performance.  

Aside from monitoring the BNS, our office also is monitoring the Barangay Nutrition Action Plans of each barangays. Nakakatuwa po dahil after maipasa nung Municipal Ordinance No. 2 series of 2020 sponsored by Councilar Benjamin De Vera and approved by the Sangguniang Bayan led by our Municipal Vice Mayor and through the support po of our Mayor, naitakda na dapat ang bawat barangay ay magkaroon ng budget allocation sa pagpapatupad din ng kani-kanilang local nutrition programs. Dati po kasi more on LGU pero since last year, halos lahat na is nagkakaroon na ng funding for nutrition programs at doon po kami nagpapasalamat sa ating mga Punong Barabgay na ngayon may kaniya kaniya na silang feeding programs, kung ano iyong kailangan na mga gamit for activities talagang sila na po iyong nagpoprovide, kung noon supportive po sila ngayon mas supportive pa sila. And hopefully this year maconduct na din naming ung Search for Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Committee to also recognize efforts din po of our Barangay Nutrition Comittees. Kasi na to really end malnutrition hindi lang LGU Municipal Level ang gagalaw kundi iyong buong community.

We are also involved in surveys and coordinating researches, gaya po now we coordinate the study of the FNRI-DOST on exclusive breastfeeding in various barangays of Bayambang, nagka-conduct di ng Nutrition Early Warning System surveys na minimeasure iyong magnitude ng hunger and malnutrition during specific quarter for planning purposes.

And yes, we also conduct Nutrition Month Celebration ito iyong parang banner project din naten to disseminate various nutrition concerns yearly, at this year our theme is “Malnutrsiyon Patuloy na Labanan, First 1000 Days tutukan. So may mga set of activities kami for the whole month which ang main goal is to educate people.

Our office also is the coordinator of even private sponsorship ng mga projects halimbawa my private office or company or private person na gusting magconduct ng project sa barangay so kami po kinocoordinatan nila. For previous ibat ibang feeding projects iyong iknoordinate saamin since we have iyong nutrition data of children in the barangays. They can reach us through our facebook page- Nutrition Section LGU Bayambang.

Patients or Older Children with medical conditions at talagang iyong wala talagang capacity nirerefer din po sa amin by MAC or by or Doctors, nagbibigay po kami sa kanila ng mga nutritional formula with prescription po from our Doctors.

So ayan po ang ginagawa ng ating opisina mula pagbubuntis hanggang lumaki ang bata hanggang sa pagcoorinate ng lahat ng support na makukuha from the barangay and community ay ineensure naten na maibigay sa mga clients/targets po natin-Total Quality Service as demonstrated by our Mayor.