LAGAWE, Ifugao- – More Nutriskwela Community Radio (NCR) stations will be put up in the country this year to empower communities through the dissemination of correct, relevant and up-to-date nutrition and health information.
Jovita Raval of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) informed that part of the council’s plan for 2017 is the putting-up of 10 new stations under phase 5 of the Nutriskwela Community Radio Network Program (NCRNP). Currently, there are 35 existing nutriskwela community radio stations nationwide.
Raval disclosed that the NNC will also support the upgrading of 10 existing stations and conduct refresher training courses to selected stations. It will also conduct monitoring visits and other activities to help strengthen NCRs nationwide.
The NCRNP of the NNC was borne out of a need for a long-term and cost-efficient strategy to address the problem of hunger and malnutrition in the Philippines through the use of radio, the most available form of mass media.
The NRCNP involves the setting up of non-profit, non-partisan community radio stations and the training of broadcast personnel in areas of the country with high malnutrition prevalence and which do not have easy access to broadcast media.
Nutriskwela Community Radio aims to empower the community through the dissemination of correct, relevant and up-to-date nutrition and health information, as well as educational and developmental information from all relevant sectors of the community, government agencies, and non-government organizations.
The first phase of the project was implemented in 2008 with five community radio stations established. In 2010, the second phase of the Nutriskwela Community Radio Network Program was implemented with the establishment of another 10 stations while in 2012, 10 stations were established under phase 3 and in 2015 another 10 stations were put-up under phase 4.
In the Cordillera Region, NCR stations are Radyo Kiphodan, DZNC-FM 99.1 MHz in Lagawe, Ifugao; Radyo Kabinnulig, DZNA-FM 99.7 MHz in Lagangilang , Abra, and Radyo Kasaranay, DZNQ-FM 96.7 MHz, in Luna, Apayao .**By Marcelo B. Lihgawon
