CITY OF ILAGAN, ISABELA-------The National Nutrition Council Region 02 in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (LBP) convened Punong Barangays and Local Level nutrition implementers to a virtual two-part “Regional Dialogue with Punong Barangays: Enabling Nutrition Devolution,” last 18-19 November 2021.
This virtual dialogue aimed to articulate the increased recognition of the PPAN and its connection to barangay nutrition action plans; enumerate the functions of the barangay nutrition committee and roles of Punong Barangays, Barangay Nutrition Scholars, and other committee members in the achievement of BNAP and PPAN targets; identify good practices on managing nutrition programs of high-performing barangay nutrition committees (BNCs) in the area that can be applied in their respective area of responsibility; explain the implications of Supreme Court Ruling on Mandanas-Garcia Petitions on nutrition program management at the barangay; and formulate or enhance existing BNAP aligned with the PPAN; the plan should contain goals and objectives, implementation details, plan for monitoring and evaluation, and budgetary requirements.
This strategy of the central office was a result of the findings of the recent study of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), commissioned by UNICEF Philippines, show that barangays lack awareness of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022 as the framework for addressing problems in nutrition at the barangay level. The same results were also validated by the recall survey on nutrition messages conducted by the EON Group, and wherein there is a low recall on PPAN at the local level.
Having this as a foundation, the local nutrition programs’ prioritization and planning were also affected. Low/limited budget for nutrition at the barangay level is also a recurring concern among barangays. Nutrition is primarily perceived as food or feeding-related activities for children.
Aside from these issues, a concern among barangay nutrition scholars (BNSs) in past conferences is the poor appreciation of Punong Barangays and members of the barangay nutrition committee of the importance of investing in nutrition and their roles in the committee. The study of PIDS-UNICEF also mentioned a heavy reliance on program implementation to volunteer workers (i.e., BHWs and BNSs).
The barangays play a crucial role in achieving the targets of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022 to strengthen the country’s nutrition resilience. With this, there is a need to enhance further the awareness on PPAN in the barangays, the roles and responsibilities of BNC members, and expanding contact points for investment in nutrition.
The implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court Ruling in 2022 and the full devolution of services as per EO 138 are good opportunities for the barangays to invest in nutrition.
A total of more than 1,400 barangay chairpersons, SB on Health, SK Chairpersons, and barangay nutrition scholars (BNSs) attended the event. This activity served as a continuation of the previously conducted Nutrition Devolution Dialogue Series. The National Virtual Dialogue conducted last 4 October 2021 was attended by 1,213 Barangay Captains. .### John Nestor Ballad
