The National Nutrition Council – NCR (NNC-NCR) urged the 17 local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila to strengthen the planning and implementation of their nutrition-sensitive programs during the PPAN Movers’ General Assembly held on February 15, 2022 via the Zoom platform. The virtual event was attended by 134 participants composed of city nutrition action officers, medical nutrition program coordinator and nutritionist-dietitians (NDs) from the 17 LGUs.

Nutrition sensitive programs are non-nutrition programs that are tweaked or modified to contribute to better productivity and positive nutrition outcomes. This year’s general assembly highlighted the importance of nutrition-sensitive programs and their integration in local nutrition action plans (LNAP), local development plans and budget.

The PPAN Movers’ General Assembly is a continuing activity of the NNC-NCR in support to the local implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN).  The PPAN is the country’s framework for nutrition improvement.

The public health NDs employed by the LGUs were mobilized by the NNC-NCR to become PPAN Movers in 2019. Since then, NNC-NCR regularly convenes them to capacitate them in planning and managing PPAN nutrition programs to reduce and prevent stunting and other forms of malnutrition among children. They are also enabled to mobilize and generate resources for their LNAPs and advocate for increased support to the PPAN.  

NNC-NCR Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Milagros Elisa Federizo thanked the participants for continuously moving the PPAN forward amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she emphasized that more should be done to protect the nutritional status of mothers and children, and other nutritionally vulnerable population groups.

“We need to have integrated response to malnutrition and engage various sectors in the implementation of both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs,” RNPC Federizo said.  She added, “If we really want to see nutrition improvement, we need to implement nutrition-sensitive programs that address the underlying causes of malnutrition.”

In her lecture, Philippines Country Director of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), Ms. Emilita Monville-Oro, enlightened the participants on the basic requirements for nutrition-sensitive programs. She also discussed key-approaches which can be adopted across sectors in making programs nutrition-sensitive.

Pasig City Nutrition Action Officer Ms. Marissa C. Almario and nutritionist-dietitians Ms. Ana Katrina Y. Lacsina (Taguig City) and Ms. Maria Ana C. Ordenes (Muntinlupa City), shared their cities’ good practices in planning and implementing nutrition-sensitive programs. 

At the end of the virtual event, all participants were asked to submit a re-entry plan, indicating five (5) specific activities that they will do within the next six (6) months to ensure the inclusion of nutrition-sensitive programs and projects in their LNAP for integration in their local development plan and annual investment program.

Written by: NOII Theresa A. Rivas and
NPC Milagros Elisa V. Federizo

Reference: IIRR. 2020. Strengthening Capacities on Nutrition-Sensitive Programming in the Philippines: Project Brief. Philippines