MisOcc PNAO is NorMin’s 2019 PNAO of the Year

Misamis Occidental (PIA) - Officer-in-Charge Provincial Nutrition Action Officer (OIC-PNAO) Marichu G. Tijing of Misamis Occidental bagged the 2019 PNAO of the Year Region X during the 2021 Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony (RNAC) held last 18 November 2021 at Limketkai Luxe Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City.

Patience, hard work, commitment, faith and compassion are the key factors that helped OIC-PNAO Tijing as she continuously strived for excellence in her work. Serving the province of Misamis Occidental for eight years as PNAO, she has been consistently driven and dedicated to improving the overall health and nutrition status of Misamisnons.

OIC-PNAO Tijing is hands-on in terms of coordinating with the Provincial Nutrition Committee (PNC), local government units (LGUs), and various stakeholders to support the nutrition program. With that passion in her heart, she fervently advocated and lobbied the nutrition programs to the Local Chief Executives (LCEs), Local Nutrition Committees (LNCs), and even external partners.

To seek their support, she made sure to set an appointment with them to discuss nutrition, its relevance, and their roles in each nutrition program. She successfully formulated and mobilized the Provincial Lobby Team composed of members from critical provincial government offices to help sell the nutrition program during their area visits.

Also, she values the good relationship with each stakeholder and partner which she considered one of the vital aspects for effective and efficient implementation of nutrition programs. This shows the importance of getting people to work together for a collective vision in nutrition.

Implementing the nutrition programs at the provincial level, OIC-PNAO Tijing needs not only to focus on the program implementation but to study as well the different political landscape of each municipality. She values the significance of setting enabling environments from the provincial to the barangay levels to ensure sustainable nutrition program management.

Further, to ensure that the provincial nutrition projects, programs, and activities (PPAs) were integrated into the local plans, OIC-PNAO Tijing actively participated in the Provincial Planning Workshops. Similarly, she facilitated the local planning workshop for the PNC members and LGUs to safeguard funding for nutrition. In addition, OIC-PNAO Tijing facilitated the conduct of technical assistance to all 14 municipalities, MNAO and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) which resulted in an increased budget on nutrition programs at the municipal level.

OIC-PNAO Tijing, with the active involvement of the PNC members, led the implementation and monitoring of the various nutrition and nutrition-related activities province-wide. To achieve their goals as One Province in Nutrition, she sees the importance of working together and getting everyone involved including the citizens of Misamis Occidental.

OIC-PNAO Tijing and the PNAO staff led the promotion of good nutrition in the province by maximizing the local radio and television (TV) stations. During her radio or TV guesting, she shared the updates on the implementation of the provincial nutrition programs and discussed relevant nutrition information, e.g., First 1000 Days, Pinggang Pinoy, and 10 Kumainments.

Her journey as PNAO was not all honey and roses. But she humbly took each challenge as her stepping stone to shine brighter for the people of Misamis Occidental and their well-being. Despite the bumpy road, it was a joyous ride for OIC-PNAO Tijing with the help and support of the Provincial Nutrition Committee led by Governor Philip T. Tan, partners, and PNAO staff. (Nutrition Office-10/PIA Misamis Occidental)