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Directors Bio 3471 2756

AZUCENA MILANA-DAYANGHIRANG, MD, MCH, CESO III
ASSISTANT SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
NATIONAL NUTRITION COUNCIL

Dr. Azucena M. Dayanghirang is an experienced public health leader. For the past 29 years, she has been a facilitator and a trainer for various health programs particularly on Maternal Child Health and Nutrition. She has served the people of Davao as City Nutrition Action Officer from 1991-1995; Chief of the Technical Services Division and Medical Officer VI of Davao City Health Office from 1996 to 2005; as well as the Provincial Health Officer II and Provincial Nutrition Action Officer of Davao del Sur from 2008 to 2016.

During her stint in the local government, she led the City Nutrition Committee in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health and nutrition programs. She initiated the “Fresh Milk Supplemental Feeding Program,” which led to the reduction of protein-energy malnutrition among 0-6-year-old children. She also successfully lobbied for the regularization of 32 Nutritionist-Dietitians deployed in the 16 Districts of Davao City in 1996.

In 2016, she was elected as the National President of the Nutrition Action Officers' Association of the Philippines (NAOPA), Inc. Shortly after, she was appointed as Deputy Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC), an attached agency of the Department of Health, Philippines. In August 2019, Dr. Dayanghirang was appointed as the Executive Director of the NNC. Currently, she is designated as the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Philippines Government Focal Point and most recently, appointed as a member of the Executive Committee of the Global Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement representing Asia and Papua New Guinea.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed the appointment of Dr. Dayanghirang to Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) Rank III effective 3 December 2020. Recently, she was upgraded to Executive Director IV with the rank of Assistant Secretary as approved by President Duterte through Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea on 21 July 2021.

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Category: Directors Corner

Congrats Doc Apet

The Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC), who is also the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Government Focal Point, has been appointed as a member of the SUN Executive Committee for the Asia and the Pacific Region for a period of two years, from March 2020 to February 2022.  The Executive Committee provides guidance and support to the SUN Coordinator’s focus on results for improving the nutritional status of mothers and children; oversees efforts to align support for all SUN countries to achieve results; and delivers the SUN's expected deliverables for approval by the Lead Group.

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Category: Directors Corner

SGG

One of the main events of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Global Gathering was the SUN Global Village where member countries of the SUN Movement, SUN Networks, and key partners showcase their progress, achievements, and innovations in scaling up nutrition.

The SUN Global Village was inaugurated during the opening ceremony held in 4 November.

The Philippines, a member of the SUN Movement since 2014, featured recently approved legislations, tools, and models to address the alarming nutrition problem in the country.

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Category: Directors Corner

image overview sun global gathering

The Scaling Up Nutrition Global Gathering (SUNGG) is the flagship event of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement that brings together SUN Government Focal Points and members from their multi- stakeholder platforms. In this gathering, participants shared progress, experiences and insights on how nutrition and multi-stakeholder partnerships can accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Previously, the SUN Movement Global Gatherings have been held in New York (2013), Rome (2014), Milan (2015), and in Abidjan (2017). This year, the SUNGG was held in Kathmandu, Nepal on 4–7 November 2019. The theme of this year’s SUN Global Gathering is “Nourishing People and Planet Together,” acknowledging that globalization, urbanization, inequities, humanitarian crises and climate shocks are driving unprecedented negative changes in people’s nutrition around the world.

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Category: Directors Corner

Image sunGG articleThe Philippine team was composed of the Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Government Focal Point Dr. Azucena Milana-Dayanghirang, Nutrition Program Coordinator of Region VII Parolita Mission representing the subnational NNC, Dr. Amado Parawan of Save the Children representing the SUN Civil Society Alliance, Ms. Maria Evelyn Carpio of UNICEF representing the Philippine SUN UN Network, Mr. Racky Doctor of Nutridense Food, and Ms. Arlene Ruiz of the National Economic and Development Authority.

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Picture maps article 2019

MANILA I The National Nutrition Council in partnership with Department of Health and UNICEF Philippines held a three-day multisectoral forum and workshop entitled “MAPS: Multisectoral Actions to Prevent Stunting: A Multisectoral Forum, Mid-term Review and Updating of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022” on 02-04 October 2019 in Manila.

“We are at the midpoint of the implementation of the PPAN for 2017 to 2022, and it is time for self-checks. How are we doing, in terms of stunting prevention? Programs need continuous, consistent measurements, as “what gets measured, gets done.” Whatever has not been done, now is the time to get back on the mill to get it done.”, said DOH Assistant Secretary for Public Health Services Team Dr. Maria Rosario S. Vergeire in her opening message.

The three-day activity was conducted to provide the forum for exchange of new evidence, joint valuation of PPAN progress and multisectoral planning for the remaining years of PPAN 2017-2022. As an input to the mid-term review and updating of the PPAN, 2017-2022, results of recent researches relevant to addressing malnutrition, in particular, stunting were presented to the 150 attendees. The participants came from national government agencies, local and international non-government organizations, academe, regional level government agencies, and LGU representatives from PPAN focus provinces.