LUCENA CITY, Quezon—Quezon Gov. David “Jayjay” Suarez has embarked on an expanded province-wide program for maternal and child nutrition and health services in an effort to produce healthy and smart children to ensure a holistic development of the province’s future generation.
Suarez disclosed this during the validation process of the Quezon First 1,000 Days of Life (Q1K) program conducted by the Galing Pook Foundation (GPF) on Wednesday last week at the Bulwagang Kalilayan here.
“The Q1K is a life-changing program and best sound investment for the future so I am now implementing this for the whole province to give a fair chance to the next generation of Quezonians,” Suarez told participants at the gathering, which included his wife Party-list Rep. Anna Villaraza-Suarez of Alona; mayors Ferdinand Llamas of Mauban, Erick Wagan of San Antonio, Ramon Preza of Tiaong, Vice Mayor Medy Rivera of Buenavista; Lilian de Leon of GPF, Dr. Grace Santiago, Q1K executive director; provincial administrator Rommel Edaño; several provincial government department heads; municipal health and social welfare officers; barangay officials; project beneficiaries; and various stakeholders.
Around 1,000 young, poor and pregnant women, starting at 19 years old, were the first batch of beneficiaries covered by the program. Suarez said he is also considering now to include pregnant teenagers younger than 19 years for the expansion of the program in the 39 towns and 2 cities of the province.
Conceptualized in 2014 and launched on July 8, 2015, with 12 pilot municipalities pledging commitment to the program, Q1K is now undergoing thorough program and site validation by the GPF for possible national recognition and replication with other local governments.
The first 12 municipalities of the province initially covered by the program were Mauban, San Antonio, Tiaong, Buenavista, Catanauan, General Nakar, Jomalig, Lopez, San Francisco, San Andres, Unisan and Tagkawayan.
Santiago said the province’s poverty incidence at 22.8 percent of the total population; high maternal death rate at 75 for every 100,000; high infant mortality at 78 for every 100,000; and high malnutrition at 11.14 in her presentation of the Q1K program.
Santiago said the program has three components for both mother and child: food and nutrition, health care and sanitation and social care, which included regular prenatal checkups for the mother and vaccinations of the baby up to 2 years. She said Q1K coordinators from every municipality undertake orientation and training and various agencies are tapped to insure the program proceeds smoothly.
She cited the innovations for Q1k such as free ultrasound testing for the pregnant mother, increased number of prenatal visits, establishment of halfway houses and home gardens, parent effectiveness service sessions, among others.
Municipal governments have started to adopt and support the Q1K program such as Macalelon which has allocated P1 million for its implementation; Sampaloc has put up barangay coordinators to assist the program at the barangay level, Wagan’s ‘rice bucket challenge’ in which 5 kls. of rice is given to tricycle drivers who fetch delivering pregnant women from their house, and setting up of breast-feeding clinic in the barangay in Lopez town.