Following the continuous success of the Healthy Pilipinas campaign, the Department of Health (DOH), recognized partner organizations for their continued support and promotion of healthy lifestyles among Filipinos, through the Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Partners held on October 27, 2023 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Co-presented with Galing Pook Foundation, the Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Partners 2023 celebrated unwavering efforts in building a healthier Philippines, across different areas including Healthy Governance, which recognizes efforts to implement policy, legislative, and research agendas promoting healthy behaviors;
Healthy Settings, as determined by interventions that lead to healthy communities, learning institutions, and workplaces; Health Literacy, encompassing social and behavior change communication interventions; and lastly, Citizenship, which recognizes excellence in participatory governance, yielding a positive impacts and empowering communities.
Awardees in the event include National Government Agencies, development partners, private sector partners, and civil society organizations, with awards categorized according to the seven priority areas defined in the DOH Health Promotion Framework Strategy (HPFS), namely: Nutrition and Physical Activity, Environmental Health, Vaccine and Immunization, Substance Control, Mental Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Violence and Injury Prevention.
Additionally, the criteria for determining awardees included reach, community empowerment, impact, scalability, sustainability, and innovation. Partners who scored 60% or higher in each category were awarded. Partners winning one category bagged Bronze Awards, winning two categories yielded Silver Awards, and awardees acing three categories received Gold Awards.
Through this ceremony, the DOH aims to strengthen collaboration with partners in implementing the HPFS by featuring initiatives that have already been implemented, and linking their proponents with Centers for Health Development and Regional Health Promotion Units for possible partnerships.
During the Ceremony, the Galing Pook Foundation also recognized the Citizenship Awardees and committed to facilitate the replication and scaling up of the health promotions initiatives of the Healthy Pilipinas awardees through their SPACES project supported by the Australian Government in partnership with Oxfam Pilipinas, Agrea, ISEA and PRESENT coalition. This project supports a whole of society approach in promoting health seeking behavior and improving social determinants of health.
“DOH has continued to work closely with its partners in creating, evaluating, and improving health promotion policies and programs in different localities, with the mission of instituting positive changes and uplifting the lives of Filipino communities.
The Healthy Pilipinas Awards for Partners cements this goal and puts the spotlight on the initiatives that have been implemented by national government agencies, private sectors, development partners, and civil society organizations who have all been dedicated to adding their own colors to this dynamic fabric of promoting health for all Filipinos,” said Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa.
