Mayor Oric Furigay of Lamitan City, Basilan: Conquering obstacles to achieve nutrition goals

“To be a leader is not always to be in power. I believe leadership is about responsibility, if you are a leader you should always take care of your constituents.” – Mayor Roderick “Oric” Furigay, Lamitan City, Basilan

Despite personal hardships, including the loss of his wife, Mayor Oric continued to serve his community and address health and nutrition challenges. He and his late wife, Rose, are credited with shaping Lamitan City’s development, having laid its foundation during their time in leadership.

Mayor Oric’s political career spans several decades, beginning in 1992 when he was elected to the Sangguniang Bayan. His dedication to public service led him to become the mayor in 2004, and he served three terms before passing the torch to his wife. After her passing, he resumed leadership, and through his efforts, Lamitan overcame challenges to secure cityhood in 2011, a legacy he continues to uphold.

As part of his ongoing commitment to Lamitan’s growth, Mayor Oric joined the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Provincial Nutrition Governance Program in February 2022, recognizing the importance of improving the city’s health and nutrition. Under his leadership, Lamitan’s population of over 100,000 people benefits from his dedication to sustainable development and community well-being.

Collaboration with ZFF

Lamitan City’s partnership with ZFF actually began with Mayor Rose, who joined the Foundation’s Health Leaders for the Health Leaders for the Poor-Municipal Leadership and Governance Program (HLP-MLGP). During her time in the program, she improved healthcare access by hiring more medical staff, increasing PhilHealth accreditations, and recruiting additional Barangay Health Workers. These efforts resulted in better health outcomes, including an increase in facility-based deliveries.

In 2021, Mayor Oric continued this work by participating in ZFF’s PNGP. He took over the program in the final year of his late wife’s term, ensuring Lamitan City’s commitment to improving its nutrition governance despite the leadership transition. The city’s nutrition system was initially lacking key components, including a dedicated nutrition committee and action plan.

Taking action on nutrition

After initial discussions with ZFF, Lamitan City hired its first full-time City Nutrition Action Officer (CNAO). 

Through the MNGP, Lamitan identified critical issues contributing to malnutrition, such as poor sector collaboration and misconceptions about stunting being hereditary. This led to a citywide effort to improve nutrition, with goals to secure sustainable funding and ultimately, reduce stunting and malnutrition.

The following are significant milestones achieved by Lamitan City under Mayor Oric’s leadership:

• City Nutrition Action Plan (CNAP): Developed in 2022 and approved by the Lamitan Sangguniang Panlungsod in 2023, the CNAP outlined nutrition interventions with a boosted budget of 5 million pesos for 2023.
• City Nutrition Committee (CNC): Regular meetings were held, allowing them to discuss relevant issues related to nutrition, leading to the passing of ordinances in support of nutrition. These included ordinances on the Use of Iodized Salt, the Establishment of a System for Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health Nutrition (MNCHN) Strategy, and the Prohibition of Junk Foods.
• Barangay Engagement: By the end of 2022, Barangay Nutrition Committees (BNCs) were formed in 41 out of 45 barangays to address  malnutrition.
• Mayor’s Deep Dive: In December 2022, Mayor Oric visited Barangay Balas, witnessing firsthand the struggles of malnourished families, which drove him to integrate nutrition education into the ROSE Caravan, an outreach initiative targeting far-flung barangays. By including nutrition awareness in the program, the city ensured broader access to vital information about proper nutrition.
• Phase 2 of Barangay Engagement: In 2023, an executive session with barangay captains resulted in concrete actions to support the Mayor’s nutrition program, including high coverage of infant and young child feeding practices.
• Operation Timbang (OPT): In 2023 Lamitan achieved a 93.3% OPT coverage, the highest in Basilan, thanks to strong barangay support and efficient tracking by the OPT Task Force.

Throughout the 15-month program, Mayor Oric’s leadership focused on improving Lamitan’s nutrition system. These efforts led to a significant reduction in stunting from 21.7% in 2022 to 9.1% in 2023, and a decrease in wasting from 5.22% to 2.35%, marking substantial progress in addressing Lamitan’s nutrition challenges.

Rising above the ashes

Despite these successes, Lamitan faces ongoing challenges, including the need for more functional BNCs and behavioral change interventions for its diverse population. A decrease in OPT coverage to 84.3% and an increase in stunting rates to 15.4% in 2024 underscore the need for sustained effort.

To address these challenges, Mayor Oric plans to relaunch the ROSE Caravan as ROSE Caravan 2.0, expanding its focus to include broader nutrition interventions. The Barangay Leadership for Food and Nutrition Security (BLFNS) will target 10 priority barangays having highest malnutrition rates with tailored programs.

In 2024, Lamitan was selected as a pilot site for ZFF’s Pook Malusog Health and Nutrition Information System (HNIS) Dashboard, alongside Tipo-Tipo. Mayor Oric provided tablets for barangay use and assigned an IT specialist to oversee the system. For 2025, the city plans to hire a dedicated IT professional to manage the HNIS database and ensure smooth implementation. The upcoming 2025 OPT will serve as a test phase for the system in pilot barangays. 

Mayor Oric remains steadfast in his commitment to Lamitan’s growth. “We should once again work together to sustain our gains,” he said. “We will continue to provide a government of competence, integrity, and performance.”