Poblacion 7 in Dumaguete City garnered the highest malnutrition rate, while the rate in the city dropped this year to 4.4 percent from 4.9 percent last year.

Records show that since 2004, from a high of 14.78 percent, the malnutrition rate in Dumaguete dropped sharply to 6.98 percent in 2005, slightly increased to 7.9 percent in 2006, then steadily declined from 2007 until 2009 with 6.8, 4.9 and 4.4 percent respectively.

City nutrition officer Lourdes Taburaza attributed the declining malnutrition rate to the strong support from the city government and non-government organizations and civic clubs to the city's nutrition programs.

Results of the Operation Timbang conducted in the city in the first quarter of this year showed that Poblacion 7 pegged the highest malnutrition rate among the barangays.

It is followed by barangays Calindagan, Mangnao, Tabuc-tubig, Looc, Cadawinonan, Poblacion 1 or Tinago, Poblacion 8, Motong and Taclobo.

Brgy. Looc, which placed 10 th in last year's malnutrition rate ranking, went up this year due to increase in the village's population as a result of an influx of migrants from other areas.

Taburaza said a spike in the population of some villages in the city have been observed, primarily because evacuees from neighboring towns and provinces flock to the city in search of jobs.

The city government has exerted efforts to curb the malnutrition incidence.

Taburaza said the city allocated P800,000 for its Food Supplementation Program undertaken in two phases by the City Nutrition Office.

The program is implemented through the barangay nutrition scholars with 500 underweight pre-school children for each phase as beneficiaries.*RG

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