Siquijor BNSs Receive Very First Honorarium

Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) of the Province of Siquijor rejoiced as they were finally given honorarium by the Provincial government. The financial support was released by the Accounting Office on 08 February 2017.

All 134 BNSs of the six municipalities of the province received the first half of their honorarium for the previous year, as the provincial nutrition committee thru its PNAO Dr. Josefina S. Bucol and DNPC Helen S. Jimenez have already complied with all the requirements for the release of funds.

BNS Federated President of Siquijor Province, Ms. Eva M. Duhaylungsod of Brangay Poblacion, Siquijor, Siquijor expressed her gratitude in behalf of all the BNSs in the province. “Daku kayo ni og matabang namo sa paglabang-labang sa mga sitio sa among barangay ug naa na sab miy magamit pandugang sa sa among supply”, said BNS Duhaylungsod in Cebuano. The BNSs honorarium was one of the major points raised during the last quarter PNC meeting held last year, with many of the members agreeing for BNSs to be given financial aid by the province.

The BNSs are barangay-based nutrition workers responsible for delivering nutrition services and other related activities such as community health, backyard food production, environmental sanitation, culture, supplemental feeding and family planning to the barangay.

The BNS Program is a human resource development strategy of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition, which involves the recruitment, training, deployment and supervision of volunteer workers or BNS. Presidential Decree No. 1569 mandated the deployment of one BNS in every barangay in the country to monitor the nutritional status of children and/or link communities with nutrition and related service providers. PD 1569 also mandated the NNC to administer the program in cooperation with local government units.

This is the very first time that the Siquijor Province allocated funds for the BNSs. Now inspired and energized, members of the BNS provincial federation committed to work harder to reduce further the prevalence of malnutrition in this mystique island of Siquijor.

The honorarium amounting to Php 500 per month, shall be given bi-annually. //PHA/NO I Mary Grace E. Adolfo, Siquijor Province