The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in coordination with the Department of Health’s National Nutrition Council, rolled out a Training of Trainers (TOT) for a module on promotion of good nutrition for mothers and babies last October 5 at Alaminos City Hall. Municipal Nutrition Action Officers, Municipal Health Officers, and other representatives from four cities and one municipality — Urdaneta City, Alaminos City, Umingan City and Bayambang — joined the training.

DOST’s malnutrition reduction program is called the PINOY module, a reference book to be used by Barangay Nutrition Scholars and Barangay Health Workers to educate mothers and caregivers in the grassroots. DOST PINOY is an integral part of the Early Childhood Care and Development for the First 1000 Days program.

Representatives from Bayambang — MNAO Bueno, Nurse Lady Philina Duque and GIP Camille Tuliao — participated in the TOT.

Last October 23, the municipality of Bayambang started to roll out the DOST PINOY module training for barangay implementers, with 42 participants from various barangays in attendance. The third and fourth batches were trained on October 24, while the fifth and sixth batches were trained on October 25, both at the Ariel and Fe Garden Resort. Regional and provincial speakers joined to cascade the module in Bayambang.

The bigger aim is to train 70 barangay implementers of the module and implement mother’s classes all over Bayambang until year 2018.