Local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila commit to scale up nutrition promotion and advocacy activities in 2023 as agreed during the Consultative Meeting with the Regional Nutrition Media Group and LGUs held on November 10, 2022 at St. Giles Hotel, Makati City. 

The meeting was attended by 31 participants composed of nutritionist-dietitians (NDs) in-charge of their Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Campaign activities and information officers from all LGUs in NCR except Marikina City. Members of the Regional Nutrition Media Group, NCR Nutrition Communication Resource Group (NCR2) from the following agencies were also present: Metro Manila Center for Health Development, PIA-NCR and PIO-Mandaluyong. It was facilitated by National Nutrition Council-NCR (NNC-NCR) Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Milagros Elisa Federizo and assisted by technical staff, Development Management Officer II Theresa Rivas, and Health Program Officer I, Trina Dela Cruz.

The consultative meeting was conducted to generate inputs from the participants on the specific activities that should be done to scale up nutrition promotion and advocacy in the region. LGUs also identified nutrition promotion activities done in their localities for this year and were asked to plan for activities in 2023 using various type of media, key nutrition messages and target participants.

DMO II Rivas presented the Regional SBCC Campaign Accomplishments in 2020-2022 and the facilitating factors and challenges encountered in the implementation of the said activities. She also discussed the results of the 2022 Regional Webby Awards to serve as guide of the LGUs in improving their nutrition promotion through social media.

During the sharing of good practices, Assistant City Nutrition Action Officer of Parañaque City, Dr. Mercy Narag-Bunnao, presented their city’s good practices in the implementation of various nutrition promotion and education activities for priority target groups and the public toward the adoption of positive nutrition behavior and practices. She emphasized that nutrition promotion activities should not be stand-alone activities but should be integrated in other nutrition and related activities.

Navotas ND Hershey Martin also provided recommendations on how to maintain a well-managed, interactive, and syndicated social media account to promote good nutrition. On the other hand, Ms. Gelaine Gutierrez of PIA-NCR highlighted the nutrition promotion and advocacy efforts done at the regional level.

RNPC Federizo reminded the group that nutrition promotion activities should be behavior-based. Messages should carry a call to action and not just to relay information. 

“Nutrition knowledge is really important because we cannot encourage people to practice nutrition behavior kung hindi nila alam ang dapat nilang gawin,” RNPC Federizo said. She added, “Let us make our strategies more effective so that our target clients and other people in the community will use these nutrition information and translate them to positive nutrition behaviors or practices”.

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