The Regional Nutrition Committee Region 02 (RNC R02) passed two (2) RNC resolutions during its 3rd Quarter Meeting held last 15 September 2021 via Zoom Meeting. The committee approved the following resolutions: 1. RNC Resolution No. 2, s. 2021 – “CREATION AND ORGANIZATION OF THE REGIONAL TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP (RTWG) ON EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIRST 1000 DAYS (ECCD-F1K) PROGRAM”; and 2. RNC Resolution No. 3, s. 2021 – “ENJOINING ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUS) TO CREATE NUTRITION OFFICES AND HIRE PERMANENT NUTRITION ACTION OFFICERS (NAOs) WITH ADEQUATE SUPPORT STAFF AND STRENGTHEN LOCAL NUTRITION PROGRAMS WITH ARDENT REQUEST FOR THE LGUS WITH SUFFICIENT RESOURCES TO CREATE PERMANENT NAO PLANTILLA SUBJECT TO PERSONNEL SERVICES (PS) LIMITS”.
RNC Resolution No. 2, s. 2021 aims to create a technical working group that will work towards the scaling up nutrition efforts in the first 1000 days of life. The policy also recognizes that addressing malnutrition requires a focus on the small window of opportunity during which key health, nutrition, early education, and social services should be made available in the first 1000 days of life or the period of pregnancy to the first two years of life to ensure the holistic development of the child and as such the national government formulated the Early Childhood Care and Development in the First 1000 Days (F1K) Program. The RTWG on ECCD-F1K Program will perform the following functions: a. Provide technical assistance in their capacities on ECCD-F1K to the LGUs and other stakeholders in the region; b. Organize a technical assistance and monitoring and evaluation (TAME) team to conduct periodic visits and meetings with P/C/MNC and provide technical assistance; c. Provide support and assist in the implementation of Tutok Kainan Supplementation Program of Zero Hunger Task Force, DOH, and NNC; d. Oversee and serve as focal point in the integration of policies and programs of all member agencies and instrumentalities charged with the implementation of existing laws, policies, rules and regulations concerning nutrition; and e. Coordinate, monitor and evaluate nutrition programs and projects of the public and private sectors and LGUs to ensure their integration with national and local policies.
RNC Resolution No. 3, s. 2021 aims to strengthen LGU nutrition programs by enjoining all LGUs to create nutrition offices and hire permanent NAOs with adequate support staff with the increase in LGU NTA share from the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on Mandanas-Garcia Petitions. The resolution is also adopting the NNC Central Office’s proposed strengthening of the LGU Nutrition Program through the establishment of nutrition offices in the provinces, cities and municipalities. It is anticipated that increase in the National Tax Allocation (NTA) of LGUs beginning 2022 per Supreme Court ruling on the Mandanas-Garcia will be an opportunity for the LGUs in funding devolved programs including human resources by virtue of RA 7160 or the Local Government Code.
Signed resolutions will be disseminated to regional nutrition stakeholders and be posted in the NNC Region 02 official website. RNC Resolution No. 3, s. 2021 will also be disseminated to the LGUs through the Department of the Interior and Local Government. – Edzell M. Arcinue
