The City/District Nutrition Program Coordinators (C/DNPCs) of Metro Manila visited Ilagan City in Isabela on May 15-18, 2018 for their annual Learning Visit.
It was attended by 40 C/DNPCs from the ten (10) local government units in Metro Manila including National Nutrition Council – NCR Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Milagros Elisa V. Federizo and Nutrition Officer II Theresa Rivas.
The learning visit provided the members with the opportunity to gain insights and learnings from an outstanding LGU in nutrition program management (NPM) such as Ilagan City, a contender for the 2nd Year Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) Award.
Ilagan City Administrator Reynolds Lora, together with City Nutrition Program Coordinator (CNPC) Bernadette Macaraeg and Isabela Provincial Nutritionist Henedi Cabrera, warmly welcomed the group on behalf of City Mayor Evelyn Diaz.
The C/DNPCs toured around the city health and nutrition office and Ilagan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center. CNPC Macaraeg presented the city’s nutrition programs and innovative activities. After which, the participants had the chance to ask questions during the interactive session.
The group also visited two (2) barangays namely, Osmeña and Centro San Antonio. They visited the barangay health centers, day care centers and nutrition offices. They interviewed the members of the barangay nutrition committees on their innovative nutrition practices. They also met and had a brief interview with Barangay Captain June Yadao, chair of Barangay Osmeña Nutrition Committee.
Barangay Nutrition Scholar Ms. Esminia Pajarillo of Brgy. Centro San Antonio oriented the group on the nutrition programs and projects of their barangay. She presented their Gulayan sa Barangay Project, vermi-organic fertilizer production and evacuation center.
The group also visited the Department of Agriculture – Cagayan Valley Research Center (DA-CVRC) where they saw the processing plant of products developed by DA-CVRC such as gourmix, café bagga, cracknick, maize silky sip, white/purple corn noodles (pansi) and corn-rice mixes. They also visited DA-CVRC Annex which houses the Butterfly Sanctuary, Tunnel Garden, Vermicompost Production, Floating Restaurant, Agri-ponics Center, Organic Vegetable Production Technology and gardens with various plants and indigenous vegetables.
A side trip to the Japanese Tunnel, St. Ferdinand Church, Queen Isabela Park, San Antonio de Padua Church and Casa de San Antonio Renewal Center made the learning visit more enriching and enjoyable. Through the various activities conducted, the C/DNPCs were not only able to learn innovative practices on nutrition program management which they can replicate in their respective localities but they were also able to establish deeper ties of friendship with each other. (TAR/NPC MEVF/NNC-NCR)