In an emergency meeting of the Association of Nutrition Action Officers of Metro Manila held on April 14, 2021, the group agreed to request the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to defer the conduct of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) Pro this year due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in the region.
The MELLPI Pro is the monitoring and evaluation mechanism for the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) at the local level, which is the country’s framework for nutrition improvement. The MELLPI is done every year to assess the LGUs’ performance in local nutrition program implementation. This year, the performance of local nutrition focal points will also be assessed.
The agreement to push for the postponement of the MELLPI came after the following concerns were raised by the NAOs: the nutrition office and its staff are being utilized as personnel in the isolation facilities and vaccination sites, most of the members of the Local Nutrition Committees (LNC) particularly the Mayors are pre-occupied with the COVID-19 response, many of the LNC members are working from home (WFH) because of the increasing cases in their offices and many Nutritionist-Dietitians and Barangay Nutrition Scholars also got infected with or exposed to the COVID-19 virus and were either hospitalized, confined in isolation facility, or home-quarantined.
"We know that MELLPI is an important aspect of the nutrition program. However, we need to prioritize the efforts for this pandemic", ANAO-NCR President Chef Melissa Oreta emphasized.
NPC Mila Federizo explained that NNC-NCR understands the very challenging situation that the LGUs in Metro Manila are currently battling with. “We are very much aware that the health and nutrition workers including nutritionist-dietitians (NDs) and BNSs are being deployed in isolation and vaccination facilities, and that the priority of LGUs now is the COVID-19 response and vaccination”. She asked for the understanding of the group, that despite the challenging situation brought by the pandemic, the regional office must fulfill its task of doing the yearly MELLPI Pro. “NNC-NCR will be adopting an online MELLPI Pro this year but still, many LGUs are expressing their concerns regarding their readiness because many of the nutrition workers are deployed in COVID-19 response and it is difficult for them to get all the documents ready. NNC-NCR has already moved the schedule of the MELLPI due to the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), and later the Modified ECQ in Metro Manila”, NPC Federizo added.
The concerns raised by the NAOs were elevated to the NNC Central Office for consideration.
The efforts of LGUs in their fight against COVID-19 are very much appreciated and NNC-NCR will continue to assist and provide LGUs guidance in their local PPAN implementation.
Written by: NOIII Emerenciana L. Francia and NPC Milagros Elisa V. Federizo
