Province cries foul over NNC-7 report

CEBU, Philippines - The Capitol has cried foul over the report of the National Nutrition Council-7 that Cebu has been lagging behind other provinces in the implementation of nutrition programs.

“We vehemently take strong exception to the statements,” according to provincial social welfare officer Marivic Garces and provincial health officer and Cristina Giango in a joint statement.

Garces and Giango said that “until today we have no way of knowing the how’s and whys’ Cebu was considered the poorest? Was it by lottery? Luck of the draw?”

In its recent report, NNC-7 said Cebu has been lagging behind among the four provinces in Central Visayas in the implementation of nutrition programs.

NNC-7 director Parolita Mission said Cebu should reactivate its provincial nutrition committee which has been inactive since last year.

Local government units in the region that performed well in the implementation of nutrition programs were recognized by the NNC-7 during the 2009 Grand Nutrition Awards the other day.

For three consecutive years, Bohol was chosen most outstanding province, receiving the green banner and crown awards.

But Giango and Garces said the council failed to recognize the fact that the Cebu provincial government has been fighting malnutrition through implementation of “high-impact programs.”

They pointed out that the province has implemented the Supplemental Feeding Program, the Food Always in the Home Program, the Saksak Program, among others.

The two department heads also pointed out that Cebu’s malnutrition rate dropped to 10.11 percent in 2008 from as high as 15.92 percent in 2004.

“This is not a result of luck or guesswork, but of concrete and consistent nutrition programs,” they said.

Giango and Garces said the council should have first given the province a notice before releasing any statement to the media.

“To avoid this unpleasant scenario you have created, we ask, next time, to afford us the courtesy of notice and information before you release results to media. Fair plan demands that we be given an opportunity to air our side first,” they added. — Garry B. Lao/LPM   (THE FREEMAN)