The Oriental Negros government is urging nutrition advocates to focus on agriculture-based family awareness and responsibility in providing proper and healthy diets for children. Ma. Luisa Villegas, chairperson of the Provincial Nutrition Council, lamented at a recent forum that the indifferent attitude of most parents, especially in depressed areas is resulting in malnutrition problems in the province.

Parents who usually work on seasonal hiring - usually lasting only three months -- at sugarcane plantations do not have the motivation to earn extra income or plant their own vegetables in their backyards during off-milling season, Villegas said.

"It's in the indolent nature of Filipinos to be content with whatever little they get, and they need a stronger push to have the initiative to feed their children properly," she added.

The children attend school with only rice and dried fish for lunch, while the parents spend their idle time gossiping with neighbors, playing mahjong or card games, and drinking "tuba" with friends, Villegas said.

Despite a drop in the malnutrition rate in the province during the first half of 2007, there is still a mounting concern for improved and sustained participation by families in combating the problem.

The first half of this year registered a slight drop in the malnutrition rate at 10.6 percent from 11.4 percent in 2006 and 14.1 percent in the previous year, records at the Integrated Provincial Health Office showed.

The top 10 areas in the province with the highest malnutrition rates are Mabinay 1st cluster, 22.1 percent; Vallehermoso, 18.4 percent; Manjuyod, 18 percent; La Libertad, 16.5 percent; Guihulngan 1st cluster, 15.8 percent; Basay, 15.7 percent; Tayasan, 15.1 percent; Sta. Catalina, 14 percent; Mabinay 2, 13.6 percent; and Bindoy, 12.3 percent.

Dauin town topped the list of areas with the lowest malnutrition rates at 3.2 percent, followed by Tanjay City 2nd cluster, 4.1 percent; Sibulan, 5.6 percent; Ayungon, and Jimalalud, both with 5.9 percent; Bais City, 6.2 percent; Dumaguete city, 6.4 percent, Zamboanguita and Pamplona, 6.6 percent each; and Valencia town, with a 7.8 percent malnutrition rate.

The figures, however, cannot be taken as conclusive evidence in the reduced malnutrition rate considering that statistics showed a slight variation in the number of children weighed-in at the government-led Operation Timbang, Villegas said.

She said the PNC has linked up with the Provincial Agriculturist's Office in helping parents train on backyard gardening and other agri-based livelihood initiatives to boost their income.

Provincial agriculturist Gregorio Paltinca said in the same forum that his office is open to parents, women's and other organized groups seeking assistance in terms of starting up their own small livelihood ventures.

Paltinca said they are assisting people by providing them with the technology on projects such as vermin-composting - the culture of earthworms that is currently the best source of organic fertilizer at a lesser cost in comparison to chemical fertilizers.

Seedlings of fruit-bearing trees and vegetable seeds are also available at the provincial nursery, he added.

Villegas, meanwhile, said they will continue projects geared towards partly addressing the malnutrition problems in the province. These include the milk-feeding program at selected schools for elementary pupils and the school-based Gulayan at Palaisdaan Alay sa Kabataan program that encourages students to cultivate their own backyard gardens and fishponds.

But Villegas lamented that the province can only do as much as she encouraged more active participation from parents and other sectors in the community to help in providing good nutrition to the children of the province. *JG

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