“A good start promises a good ending”. This is the conviction behind integrating very interesting sessions into the agenda of the 1st Quarter Meeting of the Provincial/City Nutrition Action Officers (P/CNAOs) and District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators (D/CNPCs) of Central Luzon held on 10 March 2015 at the King’s Royale Hotel and Resort. The brown bag sessions attended by forty seven (47) P/CNAOs and D/CNPCs brought together NNC-CL’s longtime partners to handle the following topics: Media Relations: Goals and Strategies by Mr. Albert B. Lacanlale,Editor-In-Chief of Central Luzon Newsweek; Public Relations in Local Nutrition Programs by Regional Director William L. Beltran of the Philippine Information Agency andMedia: Bringing Women in Focus by Ms. Marites Liwanag,Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Staff of Department of Social Welfare and Development. The three-prong objectives of the activity as illustrated were to create a betterunderstanding on the role of media in developing an advocacy strategy aimed at influencing policy and practice relating to nutrition; to enable the identification of some potential risks associated with advocacy in differing and emerging contexts; and to develop skills in communicating key issues relating to nutrition while enhancing public relations and putting into context the rights of women.
It was a very productive day observing Women’s Month while understanding the basics of Media Management and the benefits of Public Relations.
NPC Panlilio handled the meeting by presenting a summary of all the agreements made in 2014 in order to guide everyone in evaluating what were accomplished, what needs to be sustained and what else must be addressed this current year. In the course of the discussion of the minutes, the role of media and the challenges of public relations in Nutrition Promotion and Nutrition Program Management were reflected upon as well as the need to prioritize the cause of women.
The activity has indeed generated greater learning, higher affirmation and deeper commitment to support improvements in Nutrition as shown by the active participation of the group during the Open Forum.
