Calbayog LGU to focus on spending habit change to improve status of malnourished children

(Mayor Mel Sarmiento was in Tacloban City yesterday to preside over the Regional Development Council meeting of which he is the chairperson. Sarwell Meniano of the Leyte Samar Daily Express interviewed him. Here's Sarwell's report taken from the LSDE website)

TACLOBAN CITY - The city government of Calbayog will focus on spending habit change this year in their bid to improve the status of malnourished children, which comprise 25% of the preschooler’s population.

Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento said that he’s not convinced that poverty is a major factor that hinders the achievement of a better nutritional status of children in their city.

“I feel that people have better income considering that prices of copra went up but the spending habit of people which has a problem here. They spend more in gambling and other vices,” said Sarmiento in an interview.

Calbayog has 4,988 children with below normal weights, according to the result of the 2007 operation timbang. From 25%, the local chief executive is hoping to reduce the incidence to only 17% this year.

The figure placed the city on the top of the list with the highest malnutrition prevalence among old cities in Eastern Visayas. In 2006, the city posted only 20% malnutrition prevalence. “There’s no reason that we can’t provide nutritious food for the family. We’ve been going around the city to educate families,” said Sarmiento in an interview with Leyte Samar Daily Express. The city government also incorporates responsible parenthood in their education drive.

“It’s not the quantity but a quality of life that they could provide to their children,” the mayor stressed.

In order to encourage barangay officials to actively participate in nutrition programs, Sarmiento affirmed that the city government will not approve budget for barangays unless they will procure a weighing scale.

“There are barangays with high malnutrition rate but their proposal is to build waiting sheds, we will not allow it. They are supposed to prioritize the monitoring of children’s nutrition,” he said.
“Barangay officials have to address malnutrition problem first before anything else.” Even if they have local autonomy, we will strongly discourage them from financing other projects,” he added. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO)