NNC’s CROWN Maintenance Award includes AgSur contenders
By Jennifer P. Gaitano
BUTUAN
CITY, July 31 (PIA) – The municipality of San Francisco and the city of
Bayugan, both in the province of Agusan del Sur are among the contenders of the
Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) Maintenance Award
of the National Nutrition Council (NNC).
Mayor
Jenny De Asis of San Francisco, Agusan del Sur and Mayor Kim Lope Asis of
Bayugan City will be attending the National Nutrition Award as the contenders
from Caraga region for the First Year CROWN Maintenance Award category.
The
awarding ceremony is slated on July 31, 2018 at the Philippine International
Convention Center in Pasay City.
Other
contenders of the said award include the municipality of Kalayaan, Laguna led
by Mayor Teodoro A. Adao Jr.; municipality of Roxas, Oriental Mindoro led by
Mayor Jackson C. Dy; municipality of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon led by Mayor
Clive D. QuiΓ±o; and City of Tagum, Davao del Norte led by Mayor Allan L.
Rellon.
The
First Year CROWN Maintenance Award is presented to local government units
(LGUs) that are able to meet the minimum required score of 90 points for
efficient and effective nutrition program management leading to sustained
nutrition improvement among its populace.
The
National Nutrition Awarding Ceremony is an annual event that the NNC spearheads
to recognize outstanding LGUs and nutrition volunteer workers called Barangay
Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) with effective and efficient implementation of
nutrition programs resulting to improved nutrition situation especially among
infants and young children. (PIA-Agusan del Sur)
Abilities of PWDs underscored, Caraga gov’t agencies in joint force for
NDPR Week
By Mike Ariel Plaza
BUTUAN
CITY, July 31 - There is ‘ability’ in the word ‘disability.’
This
was the core principle of the celebration of the 40th National Disaster
Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week in the region on July 17-23, 2018,
with the joint efforts and initiatives of member government agencies of the
Regional Council for Disability Affairs (RCDA) led by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Caraga.
Anchored
on the theme, “Kakayahan at Kasanayan Para sa Kabuhayan Tungo sa
Kaunlaran,” the activities of the celebration all aimed to recognize
and cultivate the talents and skills of the members of the Persons with
Disability (PWD) sector.
“Our
PWDs do not really need to be pitied, they need to be provided with
opportunities,” said Silver Joy Tejano, Provincial Social Welfare and
Development Officer of Agusan del Norte.
Tejano,
who is also a PWD, added that what the sector needs today is to be recognized
and capacitated with enough trainings so that they may be able to improve in
doing what they are best at and enrich themselves.
DSWD
OIC Regional Director Mita Chuchi Gupana-Lim stressed the importance of
supporting the PWDs and opening doors for them to identify their own sets of
skills.
“What
we can do now as government agencies is to continue on strengthening the
programs for the PWD sector and provide them enough platforms to showcase these
skills,” Lim said, adding that through the activities set for the NDPR Week,
she hopes that the PWDs will soon learn “to break the shells of shame that this
discriminating world has imposed on them.”
One
of the highlights of the celebration was the Ability Olympics or Abilympics
held July 19 at Butuan City where members of the PWD sectors from different
cities and municipalities came to outdo each other in different competitions
which included waste reuse, flower arrangement, pastel painting, outdoor
photography, English text processing, webpage making, desktop publishing and
E-games.
During
the celebration, freelance animator Jethro Alvarico of Brgy. Bonbon, Butuan
City was also awarded as the Regional Successful PWD TVET (Technical and
Vocational Education and Training) Graduate.
Alvarico
said in an interview that the skills he acquired through the Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has been a stepping stone
for him to establish his livelihood as an animator.
“Akong
gigamit akong disability isip usa ka inspirasyon sa pagkat-on og animation.
Natawo ko nga adunay disability pero ako nangita og pamaagi arun makita nako
kung unsa akong abilidad (I considered my disability an inspiration in
learning animation. I may have been born with a disability but I have found a
way to discover my ability),” Alvarico stressed.
He
also wanted to inspire other members of the PWD sector and said, “dapat
maningkamot ‘ta luyo sa atong mga disability (let us all strive hard
for life amidst our disabilities).”
Other
activities of the NDPR Week included a training on cookery and cake decoration
on July 18 as well as a skills demonstration on bread and pastries held July 20
at Cabadbaran City.
The
NDPR Week is an annual celebration of the Philippine government, provided for
by Presidential Proclamation No. 361, observed every third week of July,
culminating on July 23, the birthdate of one of the country’s heroes and a PWD
himself, Apolinario Mabini. (DSWD/PIA-Caraga)
