Vice Mayors and City Councilors of local government units (LGU) in Metro Manila pledged their commitment to push nutrition agenda in their legislative work towards nutrition improvement during the Local Legislators’ Forum: Pushing the Nutrition Agenda Forward held on November 18, 2022 at Crown Regency Hotel, Makati City.

The forum was attended by 45 participants composed of Vice Mayor Arvin Ian Alit of Taguig City, City Councilors, City Nutrition Action Officers, Nutritionist-Dietitians and representatives from all local government units (LGUs) of Metro Manila except for the cities of Malabon, Marikina and Parañaque. Metro Manila Center for Health Development Regional Director, Dr. Gloria Balboa joined the forum virtually through a recorded message while DILG-NCR Director of Institutional Partnership Office, Ms. Sudi Valencia represented Director Maria Lourdes Agustin.

The ultimate goal of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022 is to secure important pieces of legislative, policy and budgetary support that will enable the national government agencies and LGUs to implement the PPAN efficiently and effectively. It is necessary to secure policy support for improving nutrition and part of the LGU Mobilization is the formulation and adoption of national issuances to assist LGUs in managing their local nutrition action plans.

In her presentation, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator of the National Nutrition Council-NCR, Ms. Milagros Elisa Federizo highlighted the malnutrition problem present in the region, its effects, and the need to invest in nutrition for social and economic development. She also provided recommendations on what legislators can do to scale up nutrition actions in the region.

Muntinlupa City Councilor and Chair of the Committee on Health and Sanitation Hon. Allan Rey Camilon presented their city’s good practices in the adoption of national laws and passage of local legislations to strengthen the PPAN implementation in their city. Aside from the Green Banner Seal of Compliance Award, the City of Muntinlupa also received the Best LGU in the Compliance and Dissemination of National Laws and Issuances on Nutrition Award.

City Councilor Maria Dolores Arayon of Makati City and Pasay City Nutrition Action Officer Dr. Maria Lourdes San Juan delivered the commitment of Vice Mayor Monique Yazmin Maria Lagdameo and Councilor Jose Calixto Isidro, Jr. respectively to encourage other Vice Mayors and City/Municipal Councilors to push nutrition agenda forward by sponsoring the passage of local nutrition policies, ensuring that local PPAN programs are funded and supporting the activities of NNC and their respective local nutrition committees.

RNPC Federizo encouraged all legislators to become nutrition champions and advocate to their local chief executives to make nutrition a priority of their administration. 

“We still have a long way to fulfill our mission in eradicating hunger and malnutrition,” RNPC Federizo said in her closing message.  She added, “Let us continue working together in empowering our communities to become food secure and practice good nutrition and make PPAN work for nutrition improvement para magkaroon ng nutrisyong sapat, para sa lahat!”

All legislators present signed the commitment wall and pledged to push nutrition agenda in their legislative work to achieve nutrition improvement in their localities and in the whole region.

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