At the height of the pandemic in May 2020, the NNC and the Alcanz team proposed to the team of Mayor Janet Aurestila-Garcia, Engr. Ednardo Avenido – the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC), and Doctor to the Barrio (DTTB)-assigned Dr. Denim Maghanoy, the possibility of jointly preparing the Annual Investment Program (AIP) for 2021 on nutrition online. The discussions flourished and by end of July, the 2021 AIP was completed and subsequently approved by the Sangguniang Bayan (SB). The total budget allocated in the 2021 AIP for nutrition was Php. 9 million including PPAs on the First 1000 Days, Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (PIMAM), Nutrition-sensitive programs, and Enabling Programs in pursuance of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN).
In various discussions with the Talibon planning team, the Mayor and the MPDC pointed the need for LGUs to prioritize as well as ensure sustainability and continuity of nutrition programs. Both emphasized that they are not permanent in their position and one of them is approaching retirement. No one can predict the brand of leadership of the next LCEs and the next MPDCs. Also, both agreed on the importance on having a comprehensive nutrition program ordinance that could enshrine the priority given by the previous and current leadership to nutrition beyond their time.
The two spoke with Vice Mayor Dave Evangelista who heads the SB and with the Municipal Budget Officer, Ms. Falconiris Lugasip to begin mobilizing the members of the SB to formulate the comprehensive nutrition program ordinance. The local government requested the support of the national team from NNC and Alcanz to produce a draft of the ordinance. It took less than a month for the two teams to come up with a draft for formal submission to the SB. The council finally approved the ordinance on 1 September 2020 and was finally signed by the Mayor on 2 September 2020. The procedural formalities were then completed, including the posting in boards within the Municipal Hall and sharing the completed ordinance with the province.
The approval of the ordinance was in time for the launching of the Compendium of Local Ordinances and Issuances on Nutrition held 1 October 2020. Hence, the ordinance was included among the 207 ordinances uploaded in the portal. Indeed, as it joined the launching of the portal, it was the newest local ordinance on nutrition. It has several key features covering components and strategies of the Comprehensive Nutrition Program, barangay counterpart to the program, implementing and coordinating mechanisms, and funding.
The components of the municipal Comprehensive Nutrition Program included five (5) major programs: The First 1000 Days, PIMAM, Nutrition-sensitive programs, and enabling programs with component projects and activities implemented by various sectors of the local government and other stakeholders. It adopts the framework provided by the NNC in the PPAN. Strategies for implementation are included in each of the program components to ensure optimum quality and coverage of service delivery, with an overarching strategy of focusing on the first 1000 days of life to effectively address stunting and other forms of malnutrition.
After defining the overall program, the ordinance detailed what is expected from all its 25 barangays. Specifically, it listed the PPAN-based programs and projects that are expected to be operationalized by the Barangay Nutrition Committees who shall plan, implement, fund, and monitor their Barangay Nutrition Action Plans (BNAP). The ordinance also secured the tenure of the Barangay Nutrition Scholars, disallowing their removal from position especially during changes in the barangay leadership.
Another key feature of the ordinance is its section on implementing and coordinating mechanisms. Here, Talibon took an effort to formalize the structure of its Municipal Nutrition Committee and the office that will handle the oversight, management, and implementation of the Comprehensive Nutrition Program. It specified the roles of the Municipal Nutrition Action Officer as well as the various sectoral offices and stakeholders that it shall mobilize to achieve their goals on nutrition.
Finally, to ensure investments on the Comprehensive Nutrition Program, the municipality included provisions mandating the integration of their Municipal Nutrition Action Plan into the various sectoral plans and the overall development plan and investment programs of the municipality. Moreover, it specified a list of funding sources to be utilized for relevant nutrition PPAs such as the Local Council for the Protection of Children Fund, Gender and Development Fund, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, Development Fund, Local Investment Plan for Health, Sanggunian Kabataan fund, and community fund-raising activities. The municipality also intends to propose a mechanism for sustained funding for nutrition PPAs in the form of a taxation ordinance similar in form to the taxation ordinance of Cebu City for nutrition, thereby providing regular and dedicated funding for the Comprehensive Nutrition Program.
With its Municipal Comprehensive Nutrition Program Ordinance, Talibon took a major step to sustain the gains they have achieved in the last 20 years as an honor awardee for nutrition. It is hoped that through its example, other local governments in the country would follow suit and utilize the power of ordinances to institutionalize their nutrition programs, further securing the rights of their constituencies, especially of women and children, to optimum nutrition.