NNC-7 praises Abalos as nutrition champion model

The National Nutrition Council (NNC)7 has commended Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos for being a “Nutrition Champion”.

Benhur had expressed his commitment during the launching of the operations manual on NGO involvement in the “Children’s First One Thousand Days Nutrition Program” produced by the Children’s First One Thousand Days Coalition (CFDC).

The operations manual “outlines precise interventions throughout the pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and postpregnancy stages with the ultimate goal of optimizing the health of both mother and infant”.

Dr. Parolita Mission, NNC-7 regional nutrition program coordinator, hoped that local chief executives in the country, especially in Central

Visayas, would follow Abalos’ example by prioritizing the nutrition of pregnant women and young children or children in their first 1,000 days.

Mission said that good nutrition in the first 1,000 days lays the foundation for health, development, and even prosperity of the next generation.

She said that when Abalos was the then mayor of Muntinlupa City, his creation of a nutrition office for the city, duly manned by complete technical and administrative personnel, was a “concrete manifestation of his giving priority to the nutrition program”.

“With his stint in DILG and as Vice Chair of NNC Governing Board, I hope he can strongly enjoin the local chief executives to prioritize and invest in programs and projects that address malnutrition in their respective local governments,” Mission said.

Over the weekend,Abalos reaffirmed his advocacy on nurturing newborn and young children in their first 1,000 days to counter malnutrition and stunting.

Abalos explained that he has always been an advocate of nutrition for children and pregnant women even during his days as a local chief executive for the City of Mandaluyong.

“This was also my advocacy when I was a local official. Patuloy po ang ating suporta upang labanan at tuldukan ang malnutrition at stunting ng ating mga anak sa mga barangay,” said Abalos, in a statement.

The DILG secretary said his department is committed to supporting Republic Act No. 11148, or the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act.”

In a recent memorandum, Abalos directed local government units to prioritize the nutrition of pregnant and lactating women and newborn children under two years of age, especially those residing in disaster-prone and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

He further committed to empower LGUs to integrate maternal, neonatal, and child health and nutrition programs into Local Nutrition Action Plans, fostering policies that champion local investments in nutrition.

During his term as Mandaluyong City mayor, the Nutrition Honor Award, which was the highest accolade conferred by the NNC to an LGU, was conferred to the city for three consecutive years.

He was cited for his Millenium Baby Project, which provided care for women and their babies, and the creation of the Breast Feeding Patrol, a group of breastfeeding mothers who can be pulled during emergencies to breastfeed hungry babies.

To recall, the CFDC and DILG last December signed a memorandum of agreement to help nurture Filipino children during their formative years to combat malnutrition and stunting. -