With the latest Nutrition Honor Award from the National Nutrition Council (NNC), the city government of Biñan, Laguna under Mayor Arman Dimaguila has once again proven its “above and beyond” style of leadership, this time in ensuring the health of every Biñanense.
“Sa Lungsod ng Biñan, malusog ang kabataan.”
Once again, the city government of Biñan, Laguna under Mayor Arman Dimaguila has proven its “above and beyond” style of leadership, this time in ensuring the health of every Biñanense, particularly its infants and children.
Dimaguila himself, along with Vice Mayor Gel Alonte and other city officials, received the Nutrition Honor Award (Maintainer) during the 2024 Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) Region 4A held in Muntinlupa City last November 11.
Biñan City Nutrition Office head Isidora Alas also placed 1st for the 2023 Regional Outstanding City Nutrition Action Officer, while Beejay Arquiza Malaban was hailed as finalist for Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar and Barangay San Vicente became Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Committee Finalist.
Plan for nutrition
These awards received by the city government of Biñan was based on an assessment of the city’s implementation of the Philippine Plan Action for Nutrition (PPAN), according to City Nutrition Office head Alas.
The PPAN is a six-year plan, started in 2023, that aims to improve access to quality services; ensuring food security; improving nutrition behaviors, promoting healthier diets; and addressing obesity and malnutrition.
The NNC is the focal coordinating body for the implementation of the PPAN all the way to the barangay level - which is what the city government of Biñan under Mayor Dimaguila has done, Alas told OpinYon Laguna.
"Kasama po sa mga programa natin under PPAN ay ang infant and child feeding. Ibig sabihin po nito, mula sa pagdadalantao ng ina hanggang sa umabot ng dalawang taong gulang ang bata, kailangan po ay tinututukan na po ang kalusugan niya,” she explained.
From the womb
Among the programs the Biñan City Nutrition Office has implemented include “Buntis Congresses” for pregnant women, to educate them on proper nutrition; drives conducted by “Barangay Nutrition Scholars” to ensure that pregnant mothers in the city are well-aware and can avail of basic healthcare services; and dietary supplementation programs for expectant mothers who are categorized as “nutritionally at risk.”
“Sa mga buntis pa lang po, may feeding program na po tayo. Sa ganito pong paraan, bago pa po isilang ang bata, nasisiguro na po natin na malusog siya at hindi siya stunted,” Alas noted.
The LGU has also made use of Radyo Biñan as an ideal medium for giving instructions to expectant mothers on the importance of proper nutrition.
Feeding programs
The city government’s programs for proper nutrition do not stop with childbirth.
“Patuloy po ang ating intervention sa ating mga sanggol hanggang sa sila ay umabot ng dalawang taong gulang. At pinaiigting rin po natin ang ating drive sa pagpapa-breastfeed po sa ating mga sanggol hanggang sa sumapit sila sa ganoong edad,” the nutrition officer explained.
To ensure that mothers can properly breastfeed their babies, the Biñan City government has encouraged businesses to set up “breastfeeding stations” and
proper storage for breast milk inside their establishments, as well as in the city’s nutrition offices.
Through the barangays, the City Nutrition Office continues to conduct supplementary feeding programs for children six to 59 months old.
This includes the distribution of the city’s own “Nutri-buns,” or bread enhanced with nutrients, to the city’s schoolchildren.
“Ang Nutri-buns po na ating ginagawa ay pasado po sa standards ng Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). In fact, isa po ito sa mga factors kaya po tayo nabigyan ng award mula sa NNC,” Alas said.
Through the Biñan Organik Farm, the city government was able to locally source most of the fruits and vegetables utilized for the feeding programs.
Other programs
On the other hand, as part of addressing the issue of obesity, the City Nutrition Office has sponsored Zumba sessions per barangay, with the cooperation of the City Gender and Development (GAD) Office.
Aside from this, the LGU has provided gyms and other sports facilities (including the Biñan Football Field) for the use of its employees.
“Lahat po ng barangay ay mayroon na pong mga Zumba instructors at kanya-kanyang sessions, bukod pa dito mismo sa City Hall in cooperation with our Human Resources Office,” Alas related.
“Mayroon rin po tayong ‘Nutri Cup’ for our employees; tayo lang po ang mayroong ganitong klaseng kompetisyon para sa ating mga empleyado.”
Resolving acute malnutrition
All these programs are aimed at preventing malnutrition among Biñanense children – but what about existing cases of acute malnutrition, which can lead to death or permanent damage?
This is where the Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (PIMAM) comes into play, Alas explained.
The PIMAM is a program that integrates the treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) into the routine health care system.
Under the program, the Biñan City Nutrition Office refers cases of children suffering from acute malnutrition to healthcare centers and hospitals for their intervention.
“Lahat po ng 28 healthcare centers dito sa Biñan City, gayundin po sa ating mga ospital, ay mayroon na pong PIMAM coordinator kung saan po natin inire-refer ang mga kaso ng acute malnutrition,” she related.
Barangay-based approach
To ensure the efficient delivery of these programs, early on in his term as city mayor, Dimaguila has decided to take the implementation of these nutrition programs down to the barangay level.
"Early on, napagpasyahan na namin na i-train lahat ng barangay captains, lahat ng barangay nutrition officers, dapat alam nilang lahat ang trabaho natin [pagdating sa nutrisyon," Dimaguila related in his speech during the awarding ceremony.
The city mayor also noted that as nutrition was a sector that had been stereotyped as belonging to women, it took some time for many of the city's barangay captains, majority of whom are men, to understand the NNC's goals of solving the problem of malnutrition.
"Kailangan po nating ipaunawa sa kanila ang ating ginagawa. At kapag naintindihan na po ang layunin natin, the next step is pupunuan ng sapat na budget ang nutrition programs, at kung kulang man, i-engage po natin ang private sector," he recounted.