First 100 days assessment: Rama focuses on dengue, malnutrition and garbage

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama urged the City Health Department to take immediate action on the problem of increasing dengue cases and the consistent number of malnourished children which made the city fifth among municipalities and cities with the highest prevalence of malnutrition in Region 7 last year.

This was among his strict orders for implementation last Monday when he met all his department heads to ask for updates on the implementation of his administration’s first 100 days commitment.

Rama said he was happy to see that everyone is enthusiastic with their jobs. He could not, however, help but be disappointed in sometimes seeing uncollected garbage on the roadsides.

“What I want to hear in the future is nothing but praises, especially from foreigners, that Cebu City is clean,” he said.

He has instructed the Department of Public Services headed by Engr. Dionisio Gualiza to work harder in addressing the garbage problem.

“They’re doing the best they can, pero makakita gihapon ta’g basura. I want the people to be empowered…devolution of labor ba…I want that everybody will be involved in cleanliness,” Rama said.

He also ordered the concerned department in the revisiting the function of the Market Authority. He said that he wants to see if the authority is operational.

Rama expressed his high hopes for new City Health Chief Dr. Stella Ygoña to solve the problem on dengue and the malnutrition.

He wants the city’s existing programs on malnutrition to be strengthened and provide more funds hopefully in next year’s annual budget.

“I want to avoid later the assessment that our nutrition program has not gotten that far especially that it was already recognized by UNICEF, I think,” Rama said.

Recently, the city’s comprehensive barangay nutrition program (CNBP) currently being implemented in four nutritionally depressed barangays earned praises from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which also announced the possibility of using it as a model in the future efforts of UNICEF to address malnutrition among children across the country.

The program is being implemented in 400 priority households T. Padilla, Mambaling, Kalunasan and San Roque.

There was a plan to extend the program into 35 barangays through an addition of P5 million more from the City Government, the approval of which is now up to Rama. (FREEMAN)