TACLOBAN CITY, (PNA) –Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico L. Petilla has called for the support of village and municipal officials for his four million trees program to be planted at every backyard as solution to the malnutrition in the province.
Petilla speaking before recent meeting of the Provincial Development Council (PDC) said while the province has been gaining successes in its education and health programs, it will also push areas where it is weaker.
He cited a report from the National Nutrition Council (NNC) where the province is among the provinces in Eastern Visayas with high malnutrition rate.
Ten municipalities of the province have been included in the top 20 nutritionally depressed municipalities in the region according to the NNC in its 2012 municipal ranking.
These include Sta. Fe, Pastrana, Kananga, Tabon Tabon, Javier, San Miguel, Alang-alang, Tabango, Mayorga and MacArthur.
In 2011, it ranked third among the six provinces of Eastern Visayas when it comes to prevalence of underweight pre-schoolers.
The governor said the four million trees can be ambitious but initial steps have been undertaken by the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA) to prepare the needed seedlings of fruit-bearing trees.
He believed the program will help improve the nutritional status of children and likewise boost the sustainability of the nutrition program.
On the side, the fruit-bearing trees will also boost the government’s reforestation program and “pump-prime the economy” of the province.
Meanwhile, in terms of successes, Leyte serves as benchmark for other local government units (LGUs), especially with its hospital management, where medical practitioners get incentives out of the income earned by health institution.