Governor Lilia G. Pineda has always put the provision of social services to constituents, particularly those concerning health, on top of her list of priorities.
She believes that people who are in a state of good health are more productive and more capable of improving the quality of their lives. That is why, the governor has always acted immediately to provide necessary treatment to the sick and to maintain the good health status of the population.
This same emphasis was given by nutrition experts in a recent awarding of the best implementers of nutrition action plans in Pampanga’s towns.
In her keynote address, Carleneth F. San Valentin, a program assistant on Nutrition of the World Food Program and a nutrition officer of the Nutrition Center of the Philippines, revealed the five key messages on nutrition which she described as “good reminders to mothers”.
These messages are: the first 1000 days of a child, or from the womb to two years, are the most crucial and a window of opportunity for him to grow optimally; breastfeeding should start within an hour after childbirth; breastfeeding should be done by a mother up to the sixth month of the child; appropriate complementary feeding should start at six months; complementary feeding should be timely, adequate, safe and appropriate.
She said that the theme for the Nutrition Month last July – “Sa Pagkaing Tama at Sapat, Wastong Timbang ni Baby ang Katapat” – is very timely and appropriate.
“We should continue to build on the initiatives of mother and baby-friendly hospitals and on the advocacy of breastfeeding.”
San Valentin stressed the essential role of government, nutrition workers and mothers in initiating breastfeeding and proper nutrition for the child.
“There is now a lower percentage of mothers who breastfeed because of their mistaken perception that they do not have adequate milk and that they have to go back to work shortly after giving birth,” a notion that Valentin says needs to be corrected.
She also mentioned the Vita Sangkap project which has benefited many children aged six to 18 months in many towns of Pampanga.
Implemented by the World Food Program (WFP) and the Helen Keller Foundation, it involves the mixing into the daily meals of children a packet containing 15 vitamins and minerals to aid in their development.
“Vita Sangkap is WFP’s response to help children 0-24 months old right after typhoons Ondoy and Peping devastated countless families in Metro Manila and Luzon,” Valentin explained.
Through Vita Sangkap’s expanded implementation in other towns, Valentin said the WFP hopes to see a healthier generation of children in the future.
This is the same vision that Pineda has for the province, a healthy generation of young people to lead in the further development of Pampanga. (Pampanga PIO)
