Maasin bags 2nd regional nutrition award

The city of Maasin won its second Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (Crown) award this year. “We want to eradicate hunger in our city and we are almost there. We are happy for the national award and will go for the highest nutrition award next year, the Nutrition Honor Award of Hall of Fame,” Mayor Maloney Samaco said. He added: “In behalf of the people of Maasin, I would like to thank our doctors, nurses, health workers and the cooperation of the people of Maasin.”

The Crown award is conferred by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to a town, city or province that has been adjudged by the inter-agency regional nutrition evaluation team as outstanding in the region in the implementation of its nutrition action plan for three consecutive years. The city won the Green Banner Award from 2004 to 2011. The Local Government Unit also won the Crown award last year.

“This is a big challenge for us to repeat the feat of Limasawa as the honor nutrition awardee, the highest award in nutrition. We want to bring down our malnutrition rate to 1 percent. The City Government needs the support of everyone, considering we have a population of 86,000. We invest considerable amount for our nutrition programs. We work hard not for the awards, but for the future of our children and the city,” Samaco said. “We at the nutrition council, hopes that many will follow Maasin City and will have many implementers and awardees in the years to come,” said Segundina Devota-Dilao, program nutrition coordinator of National Nutrition Council-Eastern Visayas (NNC-8) in Facebook page. The awarding of this year’s national nutrition awardees from the Department of Health (DOH) and NNC will be on November 5, 2013.