Health Undersecretary Teodoro J. Herbosa and concurrent Regional Director of the Department of Health NCR Regional Office is the new Chair of the National Capital Region’s Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC). In a joint meeting of the RNC and the Regional Management Group (RMG) held on 14 March 2014, U/Sec. Herbosa accepted the chairmanship of the RNC and expressed his wholehearted support to the nutrition program in the region.

The RNC is part of the organizational and coordinating structure for the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) which is the country’s framework in improving the nutritional status of Filipinos. It is an inter-sectoral body composed of regional directors of national government agencies and heads of non-government organizations. The RNC formulates policies in support of the PPAN and coordinates and monitors the implementation of the PPAN in the region.

The RNC in NCR has a membership of twenty (20) agencies, namely the regional offices of the Departments of Health (DOH), Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Agriculture (DA), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Education (DepED), Labor and Employment (DOLE); Philippine Information Agency (PIA); Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA); Population Commission (POPCOM); National Statistics Office (NSO), and non-governmental organizations, namely the Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP), Nutrition Foundation of the Phil. (NFP), Innerwheel Clubs of the Phil. (IWCP), GMA Kapuso Foundation, Save the Children, Bantay Bata 163 Foundation, Hope for the Youth Foundation (HFYF) and Grace Family Helper Project (GFHP).  The National Nutrition Council-NCR serves as the Secretariat of the Committee.

The technical arm of the RNC in NCR is the Regional Management Group which is composed of middle managers/representatives from the RNC member agencies. The RMG facilitates inter-agency communication and coordination, monitoring, evaluation and implementation of regional nutrition policies and program.  USec. Herbosa has assigned RNC Vice-Chair and POPCOM Regional Director Lolito Tacardon to head the RMG.

USec. Herbosa’s first order of business is to strengthen the RNC by encouraging the attendance and active participation of all the regional directors and heads of member agencies in the meetings and policy-making process of the RNC.  The RMG on the other hand, expressed their support to the leadership of Usec. Herbosa.