Solsona, Ilocos Norte—The National Nutrition Council- ROI presented the Early Warning System for Food and Nutrition Security (EWS-FNS) project for its expansion in Solsona, Ilocos Norte during the preliminary visit spearheaded by Mr. Kendall Gatan and Ms. Gretchen Nisperos of NNC-ROI last September 23, 2015. The visit aims to get the commitment, support and acceptance of the Local Government Unit of Solsona to adopt the said project which will eventually assist them with objective or evidence-based and relevant interventions needed to address or alleviate food insufficiency on a short-term as well as long-term basis. 25 members of the Municipal Nutrition Committee led by Private Secretary to the Mayor, Mr. Rene Santillan, members of the Provincial Nutrition Committee represented by the PNAO Elma Irapta and DNPC Christina Caroy attended the orientation.

Solsona is identified as the expansion area for the project as one of the nutritionally depressed municipality in the region based on the result of the Operation Timbang Plus (OPT+) in 2014 and the Province of Ilocos Norte is identified as disaster-prone area.

Mr. Gatan and Ms. Nisperos presented the brief overview of the EWS-FNS and the Regional Nutrition Situation, respectively while Mr. Santillan on behalf of Mayor Jonathan De Lara and the LGU Solsona accepted and committed their full support on the said project.

“Given the limited financial resources of the LGU of Solsona, we are accepting the project as this will surely benefited our constituents particularly in addressing the alarming nutrition situation of this municipality,” he said.

The consultative workshop and the training for the EWS Team as the next step for the expansion will be conducted on the first and second week of November 2015, respectively.