It’s Nutrition Month in Paranaque City

In line with its health program, the Parañaque City Government under the leadership of Mayor Florencio Bernabe, Jr. has lined up an array of activities that will highlight this year’s celebration of Nutrition Month in the city.

Guided by this year’s theme, “Pagkaing Tama at Sapat, Wastong Timbang ni Baby ang Katapat”, the activities underscore the importance of giving appropriate complementary foods starting at six months while continuing breastfeeding as a strategy to promote nutrition and health among children and prevent childhood malnutrition.

“Good nutrition practices contribute greatly to the physical and mental development of children. It is for this reason that we continue with our advocacy thereon to effectively combat malnutrition towards having a healthy community.”, Mayor Jun Bernabe said.

Among the activities line-up for this year’s Nutrition Month celebration are the following:  Slogan Making Contest for Grade VI students; Creative Writing Contest for Fourth Year High School students; cooking demos promoting proper nutrition; cooking contests among barangay health workers; Workshop on Nutrition Program Management for nurses and midwives; and a program implementation review.

The activities were organized by the City Nutrition Division headed Ms. Abelyn Bugayong under the supervision of the City Health Office headed by Dr. Olga Virtusio.

Under Mayor Jun Bernabe’s administration, the city government implemented various innovative health programs that earned it local and international awards, among them the prestigious 2009 Galing Pook Award for Outstanding Local Governance; 2008 Award for Healthy Cities with Good Dynamics and 2008 Award for Creative Development in Healthy Cities from the Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC) and World Health Organization; 2006 AFHC –WHO Award for Progressive Cities with Great Potentials. More recently, it was declared 2010 Urban Health Champion by the Urban H.E.A.R.T. Healthy Cities Initiative of the World Health Organization. (Public Information Office)