by Nimfa L. Estrellado August 26, 2017 The Province of Quzon under the stewardship of Governor David Suarez, was sited for implement...
August 26, 2017
The Province of Quzon under the stewardship of Governor David Suarez, was sited for implementing the child nutrition program known as the Quezon 100 Days of Life (Q1k).
LUCENA CITY, Quezon - The program was formally launched last Monday at the Quezon Convention Center (QCC) in this city with Senator Grace Poe as the guest of honor and keynote speaker at the program which was attended by about 8,500 guests and participants.
Poe, the proponent of Q1k in the Senate, assured the passage here of Quezon 1,000 Days of Life and nutrition program as she lauded Quezon Province for being its first implementer in the country.
“I am certain the bill on the 1,000 Days of Life program will pass in the Senate, wala nito sa buong Pilipinas, dito lang sa Quezon. Napakagaling!” Poe said during the program.
Quezon Gov. David Suarez—along with his wife, Party-list Rep. Anna Villaraza–Suarez of Alona—who accompanied Poe upon her arrival at Camp Nakar Southern Luzon Command here up to the center stage of QCC, cited Poe in his introduction of the senator as being the champion of Q1K in the Senate and author of 89 other legislative measures, including the bills on freedom of information and national feeding program.
She added that more than the problem on illegal drugs is the continued prevalince of malnutrition and undernutrition in the country.
She said 29,000 children in the country die annually due to undernutrition, 2.2 million are deficient in weight and 3 million to 4 million are suffering from malnutrition. She urged the mayors of the province’s 39 towns and two cities to invest in the program, as children’s health is the greatest resource in the province and in the whole country.
Suarez said Quezon is the first province in the country to implement Q1K, adding he hopes the province would produce stronger, smarter and more productive Quezonians in the next generation.
Former Health Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan who was also invited lauded Suarez for implementing the program, along with the 12 pilot municipalities that participated initially in the program.
He said Q1K was in the semifinalists among 155 entries for Galing Pook Award as an example of a local government program with good governance, transparency and accountability.
QIK was conceptualized in 2014 and had a soft launch on July 8, 2015, with 12 pilot municipalities pledging commitment to the program. The 12 pilot municipalities for the program with their poor pregnant-women beneficiaries were Buenavista with 52; Catanauan, 82; Gen. Nakar, 44; Jomalig, 15; Lopez,153; Mauban, 107; San Andres, 77; San Antonio, 55; San Francisco, 119; Tagkawayan, 93; Tiaong, 152; and Unisan, 51.
Earlier, Ma. Evelyn Carpio, Unicef nutrition specialist, who spoke before Poe, said the occurrence of undernutrition for the baby’s first 1,000 days of life is irreversible and incurable such that it is comparable to the devastating effect of Supertyphoon Yolanda in the country and the 3-percent loss it created in the country’s GDP.
Carpio added undernutrition results in stunting and wasting and the country is No. 2 in stunting prevalence in South East Asia. There are 7.1-percent cases of wasted children in the whole country, according to the National Nutrition Survey.
She described the Q1K program as the “unique window of golden opportunity” as it can shape the nation’s future as she urged the province’s community leaders to invest in the program and help in breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty.
Dr. Grace Santiago, Q1K program management officer, recalled the holding of a Buntis Congress, the initial launching of Q1K for 12 municipalities and the Q1K summit held in Tagaytay City in March as preparations for the provincial launch of the program.
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