Friday, August 8, 2014

Nutri-Show Part 2


                 If you want to put an end to malnutrition, everybody has to be involved. This is an understatement of what has been manifested by the residents of Barangay Mirangan, Siay. Indeed, the success of Nutrition Month 2014 has been a community effort. The time and energy that the residents dedicated for this culminating event has been overwhelming.

                The Culminating event for Nutrition Month 2014 is another installment of the cooking show conducted during the 4th community exposure. This event is also known as NutriShow, members from the community with great skills at cooking were invited to showcase their talents at the said event. The event did not only teach the people how to cook nutritious meals but also, encouraged them to have fun while doing it. The show showcased two of the recipes that the Nutrition Council is advocating. With the help from the members of the Women’s Association, demonstration of the proper cooking technique without decreasing the nutritional content was done, free tasting was done thereafter.

                Midway through the event, everybody was surprised with the emergence of the visitors from ADZU-SOM together with our beloved dean Dr. Fortunato Cristobal and Hon. Emma Bagaforo. The event was made extra fun because of their presence. The audience, medical students and visitors gave surprise intermission numbers while waiting for the food to cook.  Once all the dishes were cooked, the crowd was already eager to taste the sumptuous and healthy meal prepared. Everybody took part in preparing the table, and meal was shared between friends, families and the entire community.


                There are sufficient resources in the community to ensure that not a single child would suffer from malnutrition. It is important to realize that we can make a progress against malnutrition if we work hand in hand. This year’s Nutrition Month celebration is a testimony that, together, we can make a stand against malnutrition.

"Sarap kaayo..Masustansya Pa!" says the ever dynamic members of Women's Association

Health Teaching Series

It is a dictum in medicine that prevention is better than cure, which upholds to be true even today. Not only is it easier, but also much less expensive. Hence, with that being said, our team conducted three important health education on three different occasions with the hope to help prevent illnesses and improve the quality of life.

Cigarette smoking is one of the largest preventable risk factor for morbidity and mortality in the world. It causes numerous illnesses that could eventually lead to different kinds of disability and even death. Different campaigns have been launched to prevent the spread of this deadly vice, and sadly most of them are ineffective in encouraging people to stop smoking. Hence, before it claims its next victim, we took the initiative to educate the youth about the ill effects of smoking in the hopes, it will deter them from ever starting the deadly habit. We used the different materials available from the department of health in our lecture and presented to them different videos featuring the effects of smoking on the body.

In the barangay, Pulmonary Tuberculosis is the second leading cause of death in the community. Hence, it was only appropriate to give a health teaching about Tuberculosis to the general public and answer the different commonly asked questions. Again, with the different materials provided by the department of health, different aspects of the disease were discussed and at the end of the lecture, time was allotted to answer the questions from the crowd.

           The Philippines is one of the several countries who agreed to the conditions set by the Millennium Development Goals. One of those goals is to decrease maternal mortality. In line with such, we discussed the different danger signs to the pregnant women during prenatal checkups. It was important to discuss them thoroughly, for the mothers to have an idea how severe these signs are and how important it is to seek medical help when such signs manifest. A lecture was given, and time was allotted to answer the questions from the crowd after the lecture. 

Team MM Celebrates Nutrition Month 2014


When I was in elementary school, the month of July would always bring out excitement and joy to students, teachers and parents since it would entail celebrating the most awaited Nutrition Month. The classrooms would always be filled with colorful fruits and vegetables, students run around in their costumes, everyone had their bellies full… Basically everyone just exudes a glow that comes with being happy and healthy.
Team Mauswagong Mirangan, together with the principal and teaching staff of Mirangan Elementary School wanted to give the same happy experience to the schoolchildren, which in turn would remind them of the importance of good health and proper nutrition.
The team started collaborating with the school, the Parent-Teacher Association, the barangay council and the barangay nutrition scholar in coming up with activities centered on promoting good nutrition. A project proposal was created and approved
by the Provincial and Municipal Nutrition Action Offices.
The first activity for the first week of July was a room-to-room health education on nutrition. Interactive modes of teaching were employed for the children to be more attuned to the key messages of the lectures.
The second activity was the poster-making contest participated by representatives from grades 4, 5, and 6. In this activity, the students were tasked to create a poster based on this year’s theme, “Kalamidad Paghandaan: Gutom at Malnutrisyon Agapan!” (Prepare for Emergencies to Prevent Hunger and Malnutrition!) The focus on nutrition in emergencies such as calamities provide the people the realization of the importance of preparedness to prevent worsening malnutrition and death in affected groups. The students showcased their creativity and resourcefulness in their posters. Out of the 9 contestants, the top 3 best posters were chosen: 3rd placer is 4th grade student Asther Silao, 2nd placer is 6th grader Janisa Caiban and 1st placer is 5th
grader Kenneth Bautista.
A Quiz Bee was also conducted on the 3rd week of July. This was also participated by representatives from grades 4, 5, and 6. The contest was divided into 3 rounds of multiple-choice questions. During the elimination round, the contestants were tasked to choose the best answer. Those who answered correctly stays, while those who answered incorrectly were eliminated. During the semi-final and the final rounds, the remaining contestants were given 4 cards labeled A, B, C and D which they held up to answer the questions. The top 3 scorers were all 6th graders: Kimberly Padernal placed 3rd, Jane Rose Silaras placed 2nd and Monsar Pantaleon placed 1st.
To have everyone’s participation as well as to showcase the creativity of each student, a Do-It-Yourself Costume Day was conducted, wherein students created their own hats featuring various nutritious foods. These hats would then be worn by the students during the culminating program.
On July 23, 2014, together with the faculty and staff of Mirangan Elementary School, we celebrated the culmination of the nutrition month by having intermission numbers from each grade level, a palengke or tabo showcase, various games and contests, awarding of the winners of the different activities conducted during the month and a salu-salo prepared by the PTA members.
Not only was the project instrumental in providing nutritional awareness, but it also fostered camaraderie and unity, making the project more meaningful to everyone in the community. Indeed, the goal of spreading the message of good health and nutrition has been met and hopefully will be sustained for years to come. 

Mothers cooking nutritious food for their children during the Nutrition Month Culminating Activity

Dra. Moritz Soliven teaching kids the importance of Nutrition

Novie Mendio, a 4th grader, creates a poster based on the Nutrition Month 2014 theme: Kalamidad Paghandaan: Gutom at Malnutrisyon Agapan!

5th grader, Kenneth Bautista won first place.

Students raise their answer to a question during the semi-final round.

From Left, 1st placer Monsar Pantaleon, 2nd placer Jane Rose Silaras and 3rd Placer Kimberly Padernal.

Kindergarten students participate in the Do-It-Yourself Costume Day.

Students happy with their costume

The stage for culminating activity

Showcase of Fruits and Vegetables


Students from all grade levels get ready for the program.

Palengke or Tabo showcase with the grade 5 students and their adviser, Ms. Elvira Delfin.


Ida Arriola (right) assists Ms. Rosalinda Pedroza, school principal in the awarding of a bronze medal and a prize to 3rd placer Asther Silao and her adviser for the poster-making contest.


Ting Paber poses with the winners of the best in costume contest.