Tacloban City (August 4) -- The local government of Basey, Samar under the leadership of Mayor Wilfredo "Didi" Estorninos is committed to helping improve the health and nutrition of its constituents.

This strong commitment was shown in the various activities the local government conducted during the month-long celebration of Nutrition Month, Ms. Bonavie Robinio, the information assistant of Basey disclosed.

Mayor Estorninos, prior to the celebration coordinated with the concerned agencies, the Municipal Health Office and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, in order to determine what activities are appropriate for the month-long celebration of Nutrition Month.

On July 29, pregnant women flocked to the Audio Visual Hall for the Nutrition Education Seminar where an informative lecture was conducted to respond to the country's commitment to achieve its Millennium Development Goals to improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality by 2015.

Mrs. Praxedes Estorninos, the Municipal Nutrition Action Officer, mothers should be aware of maternal nutrition, the dos and the don'ts in pregnancy and the emergency signs and the need to consult a doctor for any maternal problems in order to protect the pregnant mother and the baby.

On July 30, as commissioned by Samar Governor Mila Tan, lecturers from the Department of Agriculture and Provincial Agriculture Office conducted a demo on food processing to about 10 pregnant women and 20 students. The nutrition demo was intended to teach the participants the know how in food processing so that they will be able to provide the proper food for their families and so that they can make a livelihood out of the new skill they learned.

The participants were taught how to make tocino, hamburger patties, skinless longanisa and tapa, among others, after which, they were organized into a 4H Club so that as an organization, financial assistance to begin a productive venture will be provided by the local government unit and the Department of Agriculture.