Around 100 city/municipal nutrition program coordinators (C/MNPCs) from the 17 local government units (LGUs) in NCR attended the annual PPAN Movers’ General Assembly held on February 27, 2023 via Zoom.

Recognizing the key role of LGUs as prime movers of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN), the C/MNPCs since 2019 were mobilized as PPAN Movers in the region. They are continuously capacitated on planning appropriate nutrition programs, projects, and activities and mobilizing and generating resources for their local nutrition action plans. Facilitated by the National Nutrition Council – NCR (NNC-NCR), the 2023 general assembly aimed to inform the participants of the new legislations/policies and guidelines that will help them improve their implementation of PPAN programs in their localities.

Discussed during the general assembly were: 1) Guidelines on the Dietary Supplementation Program (DSP) in the First 1000 Days, 2) Halina’t Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG) sa Barangay Project, 3) Guidelines on Local Nutrition Planning, and 4) Training Regulation on Community Nutrition Services II. Updates on the conduct of Operation Timbang (OPT) Plus, Tutok Kainan DSP, BNS Program and RNC-NCR resolutions approved in 2022 were also presented.  

In her message, NNC-NCR Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Milagros Elisa V. Federizo emphasized the important contribution of the C/MNPCs as PPAN Movers in improving the nutrition situation in the city/municipal and barangay levels. They help operationalize PPAN at the local level, advocate for support and engage local leaders, stakeholders, and the community for nutrition actions.

“The fight against hunger and malnutrition may be grueling and tiresome pero hindi tayo susuko para sa bayan, para sa mga kabataan,” RNPC Federizo said. She added, “Pagtulungan nating kamtin ang nutrisyong sapat para sa lahat.”

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