With the theme “Healthy Diet Gawing Affordable for All!”, the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), in partnership with the National Nutrition Council (NNC), ImagineLaw, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), leads the City’s Nutrition Month Culmination Activity at AVR, Valenzuela City Hall, August 15.

The City Government of Valenzuela celebrated the 49th National Nutrition Month successfully. A Children’s Fair and Awarding Ceremony with the event slogan: Healthy Lifestyle, Gawing Viral! was held. The venue was filled with booths providing nutritious foods and drinks, there were also informational books, and brochures about healthy living.

Prior to this was a pre-event activity: Healthy Diet Promotion Contest for Children and by Children, participants are children of 7-18 years of age. They were encouraged to create promotional material with an advocacy to proliferate healthy eating habits, and to mobilize the public, as well as calls for state and private actors to build a healthy food environment for children. This is to raise awareness on the importance of a healthy food environment that fosters a healthy lifestyle for children. 

ImagineLaw’s Executive Director, Atty. Sophia San Luis highlighted the daily struggle of the masses on advocating a healthy lifestyle, “Kaliwa’t kanan ang mga unhealthy food ngayon, kahit saan tayo pumunta, napakadaling bumili nito. Paano natin gagawing “viral” ang “healthy lifestyle” kung ganito naman ka-accessible ang unhealthy food? [There are unhealthy foods everywhere we go, it’s so accessible nowadays, so how can we make this healthy lifestyle a “viral” one?]

This is where the efforts of the local government will be stretched and should be strengthened. The city has a duty to regulate a healthy food environment and protect children’s health. To which Atty. Sophia San Luis added, “Gobyerno rin ang makapagsusugpo ng fake news na naghihikayat sa mga kabataang patuloy na kumain ng mga pagkaing maraming asin, asukal, at taba.” [It’s also the government who can battle fake news that encourages children to eat foods that contain a lot of salt, sugar, and fat.]

In line with Valenzuela City’s Nutrition Month event is the commitment signing of Ordinance no. 101-2023, authored by Councilor Louie Nolasco, a new ordinance which will take the initiative in building healthy eating habits for the young ones. This states that:

Hence, ImagineLaw Exec. Director Atty. Sophia San Luis also thanked and praised Valenzuela City’s pioneering endeavor, “Namamangha kami sa political will na ipinapamalas ng inyong gobyerno para lubos na maprotektahan ang inyong mga chikiting. Dito sa Valenzuela, gagawin nang bawal ang mga advertising na sadyang mapanlinlang at nag-uudyok sa ating mga kabataan na kumain ng unhealthy foods na sobra-sobra sa asin, asukal, taba, at iba pang kemikal na hindi natin alam.” [Valenzuela City’s strong political will in protecting their children makes us astonished. Here in your city, deceitful and risky advertisements that urges children to eat unhealthy foods will no longer have a place. Junk foods which also contain unknown chemicals.”]

Valenzuela City Mayor WES Gatchalian studied the ordinance, and honestly said it is really a big challenge to regulate, but it is also timely and a must to work on. 

“We’ll promote healthy choices in schools, universities, food vendors, and commercial establishments. What’s important here is to regulate… Hindi lang naman ang pagkain ng masama ang kalaban dito, kundi kalaban natin kung ano ang fini-feed sa atin ng mga marketing companies at ad agencies. Wala naman pong masama sa ginagawa nila, dahil bayad po sila. Ang problema, sa lawak ng internet ngayon, napakalakas ng epekto ng mga malalaking kompanya katulad ng fast food chains… Sa pamamagitan ng Ordinance no. 101-2023, ika-counter natin ang mga advertisements na nakikita natin. To promote a healthy environment lalong lalo na sa mga paaralan. To promote the positive and healthy side of eating.” [We’ll promote healthy choices in schools, universities, food vendors, and commercial establishments. What’s important here is to regulate... It’s not only the unhealthy foods that we are battling with, but also what these marketing companies and ad agencies feed to us. We are not against the company or the people who do their job or business. The problem lies in the powerful proliferation of these advertisements by big companies like fast food chains. So, with the help of the Ordinance no. 101-2023, we can counter these advertisements. To promote a healthy environment in schools, and to promote the positive and healthy side of eating to the children.] 

Mayor WES also thanked the City Council and the City’s partners on their initiative and willingness as they venture in countering risky advertisements.

The culminating activity ended with a storytelling session with Mayoress Tiffany Gatchalian.

Also present during the event were City Councilors Niña Lopez, Louie Nolasco, Bimbo Dela Cruz, Ms. Jovita Raval, RND, MPS-FNP from National Nutrition Council (NNC), and Usec. Rowena Tadura from Office of the Undersecretary for Legislative Coordination and External Affairs, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

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