Amid this COVID-19 Pandemic, the Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) through RNC Resolution No. 1, Series 2020, “Declaring the New Priority Areas of the RNC’s Shepherding Project”, will continue to mentor priority local government units (LGUs) through its Shepherding Project. The project aims to assist LGUs in improving their nutrition program management resulting to improved nutrition situation, ensure that regular monitoring is provided, and facilitate the dissemination of current issues and concerns on the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) to these LGUs.

Starting this year, the cities of Caloocan, Pasay, Manila and Quezon City will be the new priority areas of the project. These four (4) cities are among the highly populated LGUs in the region. If these areas will be mentored through the project, and with the leadership and political will of their local chief executives in implementing their comprehensive nutrition program anchored on the PPAN, the RNC believes that they can make a significant contribution in the nutrition improvement of the entire region.

Since the implementation of the project in 2012, seven (7) LGUs have been mentored through the project and these are the cities of Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, San Juan, Paranaque, Marikina, and the municipality of Pateros. The results of the project evaluation in December 2019 revealed that the cities of Malabon and San Juan are already doing well in the management and implementation of their nutrition programs. The remaining LGUs, on the other hand, have shown progress and are expected to perform better. These areas, however, will still be mentored and given technical assistance as requested, even if they will no longer be priority areas of the project.

The shepherding team is composed of selected members of the Regional Nutrition Management Group (RNMG) and the technical personnel of the NNC-NCR.  The ‘shepherds’ will have courtesy calls with the LCEs and series of advocacy meetings and mentoring sessions with the Nutrition Action Officers and the local nutrition committees of the new priority LGUs.

Prior to the advocacy and mentoring activities, the shepherding team will be trained to equip them in doing their tasks. The NNC-NCR as part of the LGU mobilization activities in the region will also engage the new priority LGUs in webinars on PPAN and related concerns. 

Through this project, the RNC hopes to have more functional local nutrition committees in Metro Manila led by pro-active mayors as Chair, more LGU investments in nutrition, scaled-up PPAN implementation at the local level and, hopefully, more Mayors who are nutrition champions. (ELF/MEVF/NNC-NCR)