The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) will conduct a series of activities in observation of the 39th National Nutrition Month with the theme “Gutom at malnutrisyon: sama-sama nating wakasan!”

Nutrition month was officially launched in Manila on July 2, coordinated by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). The observance of nutrition month aims to build greater awareness on nutrition among Filipinos.

IRRI will hold Kanin Get It on July 16, a special media day on health and nutrition issues related to rice. It is a whole-day event to be held at the Harrar Room, and will showcase the organization’s latest research on nutrition, grain quality, rice contamination, and high-nutrient rice.

IRRI will also have Nutri Up! Health Options and Choices on July 25-26, an activity led by the Human Resources Services under its Health and Wellness Program, which provides health-oriented workshops and seminars.

There will also be a feeding program for marginalized families in Los Baños and Bay, in partnership with the Provincial Nutrition Action Council of Laguna and Suhay, an organization of IRRI international staffers working together with the local community to help children in need.

IRRI  is a non-profit organization that engages in rice research to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable. It currently promotes the consumption of brown rice, which is is being served at its cafeteria in Harrar Hall. (Czarina Joy Villarin)

The Los Baños Municipal Health Office (MHO) celebrates nutrition month this July with the theme “Gutom at Nutrisyon, Sama-sama Nating Wakasan!”

Municipal health officer Dr. Maria Cerezo  said that activities her office had prepared will help impart knowledge to mothers and children about proper nutrition.

Nutrition Month in LB started with a motorcade on July 6 followed by opening ceremonies at the Municipal Covered Court.

To help address nutrition problems and encourage families to observe proper nutrition, the MHO will conduct lectures in Barangays Putho-Tuntungin, Tadlac, Baybayin, Timugan, and Bagong Silang from July 8 to July 12.  The activity is for the benefit of mothers and homemakers, and will be held in the barangay halls.

Meanwhile, there will also be an awareness campaign addressed to children which will focus on eating the right kinds of food and knowing the basic food groups. It will be held on July 22 at the Lopez Elementary School in Barangay Batong Malake.

On the third week of July, the Rotary Club of Los Baños will hold a feeding program at the Los Baños Central School.

The celebration will close with a cooking contest open to all mothers to be held on July 31 at the covered court. (Earl Gio N. Manuel)

The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Gender Center is holding a series of activities during the month-long celebration of its fifth anniversary with the theme “Makabagong Pakikibaka ng Kababaihan Tungo sa Tuwid na Daan.”

With the cooperation of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod and the Department of Human Kinetics (DHK), the kick-off activity on practical self-defense training was held on July 5 at the Copeland Gymnasium. On July 9, Disaster Risk and Basic Survival Technique Training will be held at the Baker Hall.

On July 24, the film “In Nomine Matris” will be shown at the D. L. Umali Auditorium, in partnership with the Sigma Alpha Nu Sorority, while a public forum will be held on July 29 at the A. G, Samonte Hall with Carolina “Bobbie” Malay-Ocampo as guest speaker.

There is also a poster-making contest open to all UPLB students, alumni, faculty and staff.

The UPLB Gender Center holds campus-wide seminars, receives complaints of sexual harassment, coordinates special counseling and referral programs, and orients new students on gender sensitivity and anti-sexual harassment. (Arielina P. Arevalo)

An estimated 1,000 job-seekers went to the Los Baños Municipal Court on June 28 for the job fair organized by the Public Employment Service Office (PESO), in cooperation with overseas jobs website WorkAbroad.ph and the Rotary Club of Los Baños Makiling.

A total of 22 overseas agencies and 50 local companies screened applicants for jobs for vacancies. These companies are looking for production operators, engineers, managers, and clerks.

Aside from the job fair, there were also seminars on enterprise development and financial coaching.

Gliceria Trinidad, LB PESO manager, said that the activity benefits both the local government and the private companies: the opening of jobs to high school students, college undergraduates, and other unemployed adults gives the people economic opportunities, while the companies are able to meet their need for human resources.

Job applicants and representatives of the participating companies agree with Trinidad’s view.

Ronel Jumaquio, an applicant for the post of production operator, appreciates the wide variety of posted job openings.

“Makakapamili ka kung ano ang gusto mo – di lang kung anong job ang gusto mo kundi anong career ang gusto mong pasukin,” he said. (You may choose what you like – not just the job but the career path as well.)

Junji Talatayon, hiring personnel of BSFil Technologies, said that people who applied during last Friday’s job fair have high chances of getting hired because they give premium to Laguna-based applicants since vacancies are in their Laguna site.

“Mas maganda [ang ganitong job fair] kasi ang mga applicants, taga-Laguna rin talaga,” she said. (This job fair is good because our applicants are from Laguna.)

Meanwhile, Lanie Caranguian, representative of the overseas job placement agency Metro Global, points to time and resources saved by applicants in visiting activities like this job fair.

“May mga [aplikante] kasi na di kayang pumunta sa Manila. [Dito] nabibigyan din [sila] ng chance na lumapit at makipag-usap sa amin kasi kami ang first step ng recruitment,” she said. (There are applicants who cannot go to Manila. In job fairs like this, applicants have the opportunity to apply and talk to us because this is the first step toward recruitment.)

Despite the high applicant turnout last Friday, Trinidad estimated placement rate of around 35 per cent. PESO’s first quarter job fair placement rate was at 45-50%.

The job fair is a quarterly project of the Los Baños PESO.