Taguig receives Green Banner Award for Nutrition for three consecutive years

For the third straight year, Taguig City was awarded the Green Banner Award for Nutrition by the Department of Health. Taguig’s award came on the heels of its achieving a drastic decline in the malnutrition prevalence rate of less than 1 percent for this year.

The Green Banner award is the highest honor conferred to a local government unit for its exemplary implementation and management of nutrition programs.

Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano personally accepted the award on behalf of her city during the 2016 Regional Nutrition Awarding ceremony by the National Nutrition Council Department of Health (DOH) last July 28. Taguig City, which is the region’s contender, will be cited this November for the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) First-Year Maintenance Award.

In accepting the award, the lady mayor recognized the hard work and diligence of the men and women at Taguig City’s Nutrition Office and City Health Office.

“This award will never be possible without the help of our hard-working city nutrition officers. Halos lahat na lang po ng kanilang oras ay ibinibigay nila sa pagtulong sa ating mga kababayan na kailangan ng nutrisyon,” Mayor Lani said. “Isang napakalaking karangalan po ito para sa lungsod ng Taguig na muling mapili bilang Green Banner awardee sa taong ito. This will encourage us more to work harder to reach more of our people who are really in need of our help,” the mayor added.

The latest nutrition award was based on the results of the 2016 Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) conducted by nutrition officers in Taguig.

Mayor Lani also acknowledged the hard work of Taguig employees who implemented the nutrition programs of the city at the grass root level.

“Ang programa po ng syudad kahit gaano kaganda kung hindi naman naipapatupad ng maayos sa ibaba ay mananatiling programa lamang kaya naman pinasasalamatan din natin ang mga nutrition council officers na walang sawang nagtrabaho, madalas maulanan at maarawan, hindi natakot na mahabol ng aso at masugid na kumakatok sa bawat pinto ng mga residente para mabigyan ng tulong at makahanap ng kalutasan sa problema sa kalusugan ng ating mga kababayan sa Taguig,” she added.

Mayor Lani stressed the importance of the city’s nutrition program, attributing the city’s success in other areas to its superlative nutrition projects.

“Take for example our success in education. Our students’ would not have topped the National Achievement Test results in 2015 for NCR had they lacked the proper nutrition.

According to Julie Bernabe, head of the City Nutrition Office, the decline in the malnutrition rate could be attributed to various health nutrition programs implemented by the city to reach the goal of a zero malnutrition rate.

These programs include supplementary feeding, the distribution of micronutrient supplements such as vitamin A and Iron syrup, and information and education campaign for parents regarding healthy food production and preparation for their families. ###