LAGAWE, Ifugao–Nutrition is a life-long process and for some officials their task to ensure that the people are well fed and properly nourished doesn’t take a vacation.
Kiangan folks express widely varying reasons as to why they took part actively at the just-concluded Nutrition Month celebration program of the municipal government. It was held at the covered court gymnasium.
In most cases, residents of this predominantly agriculture town just adjacent to Lagawe, juggled their time from household chores to listen to speakers who exhorted them to give importance to good and proper nutrition in their daily lives. Municipal hall employees as well as barangay council officials were also in attendance.
The one-day program showed that municipal government officials, led by Mayor Joselito Guguguyon, are continuously working hard to extend and expand nutrition programs in the town’s various villages.
Program organizers took consideration of the people’s interests and wants thus, offered interactive activities such as a quiz bee contest as well as competitions in cooking and poster-making. Certainly, the biggest applause and loudest cheers were heard in the nutri-hataw (dance) contest. Men and women of the barangay government, government line agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs) showed their talents in lively numbers.
Prizes were awarded to the winners at the latter part of the program. A crowd of 600 witnessed the occasion.
Speaker after speaker said lack of nutrition information and inadequate nutrients are causes of having an unhealthy segment of the populace.
Just like in the other ten towns of Ifugao where malnutrition still persists due to the mounting poverty incidence, the ill-effects of the nutrition woes are a major concern for most officials in Ifugao.
Turning a blind eye to health problems brought about by alarming cases of severe malnutrition in far-flung barangays will only aggravate the situation in an impoverished province like Ifugao.
“The Sangguniang Bayan will work closely with the Office of the Mayor to ensure that there is strong support and assistance for the nutrition program and make sure it is beneficial to the poor and needy,” Councilor Michelle Alice Baguilat said.
Councilor Baguilat said the legislative wing of the municipal government will throw full support as long as the need arises.
She is the chairperson of the committee on health. By and large, Councilor Baguilat has exerted her utmost in upgrading the town’s nutrition program. Most of the program’s objectives have been attained.
On the other hand, Councilor Raldis Bulayungan stressed the need for all sectors to act urgently on the malnutrition problem, with Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) and Barangay Nutrition Action Officers (BNAOs) emphasizing the value of micronutrients and vitamins intake.
“It’s a critical point to make sure that government interventions are now in place because the stakes are so high,” he motioned.
In an exclusive interview with the Zigzag Weekly, Councilor Bulayungan said it will be tough to address the problem in remote villages but solving the problem once and for all is not impossible.
“We have to be optimistic,” he added.
Councilor Bulayungan’s, also a lawyer, attitude gained a lot of backing from Kiangan’s folks. A market vendor, who asked not to be named, quipped: “I support his view and urged the municipal government to infuse more funds for feeding programs.”
“I’m glad that Councilor Bulayungan is there to help us. We truly need good and caring leaders like him,” she added.
The foregoing presupposes that many barangay councils have to make do with a small budget because the national government continues to waste taxpayers’ money by “underspending” for health and nutrition concerns.
Nobody has been comfortable and happy with the officialdom’s “underspending” ways. Kiangan, long considered by many as one of the best towns with an excellent nutrition blueprint, is quite fortunate. To date, Kiangan offers “exciting prospects” as a role model not just in Ifugao but the entire Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
The participation and contributions of many program participants such as Rowena Galap, Maria Taguiling, Marichu Guyguyon, Ernesto Baglan and Kiangan Knights of Columbus Kiangan Council without a doubt broadened the prospects of attaining the town’s long-term nutrition targets.
For now, Kiangan has the inherent capacity to establish itself as the province’s premiere nutrition unit in the grassroots level.
However, these opportunities are rather limited and hampered by scarce resources. What can be done to address this situation? The provincial government should provide more funds for nutrition outlays. Hence, improvement of the people’s access and affordability to nutritious food is assured at all times. **By Anthony A. Araos
