“Take on ME” in Region III means switching on to Monitoring and Evaluation (ME) of the local level nutrition program implementation. Yes, the National Nutrition Council-Region III, in coordination with the Regional Nutrition Technical Working Group (RNTWG) as the Regional Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation Team (RNMET) launches this year’s Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) Pro for Local Government Units (LGUs) at the Provincial, Municipal and City levels and Local Nutrition Focal Persons (LNFPs) - the Nutrition Action Officers, District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators and the barangay volunteer nutrition workers – the Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs).
Two online orientations on the MELLPI LGU Implementing Guidelines for 2021: Part 1 on Evaluating LGUs on 17 May 2021 and Part 2 on Evaluating the LNFPs on 17 June 2021 were held for the members of Central Luzon regional network to have deeper appreciation of the MELLPI Pro.
In 2018, the NNC-Region III started the training of LGU implementers on the use of MELLPI Pro electronic tools in the 7 provinces, 14 cities and 116 municipalities in Central Luzon. The two-prong objectives of the MELLPI Pro are: 1) to assess the nutrition program performance of the LGUs and the LNFPs, and 2) recognize those with exemplary performance in the delivery of direct nutrition and nutrition-sensitive services.
The training served as the turning point in nutrition program management among the nutrition committee members because apart from being local implementers, they too will serve as an independent body called MET or Monitoring and Evaluation Team at the municipal, city and provincial levels.
The tasks of the Municipal MET, City MET and Provincial MET along MELLPI Pro began in 2018 as the Regional Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation Team (RNMET) no longer evaluate all the 137 LGUs but only the 7 provinces and 2 highly urbanized cities in Central Luzon. Worth noting also was the varied reaction and acceptance of the 12 component cities as the new guidelines indicated that their nutrition program will be monitored and evaluated by the respective Provincial Nutrition Committees.
Nevertheless, the use of the new MELLPI Pro tools had paved the way for the members of the City MET and Municipal MET to appreciate their roles as monitors and evaluators of the barangay nutrition programs, visiting all the BNCs, with or without Barangay Nutrition Action Plans. and no longer by the RNET. NNC-Region III also realized that the new experience did not hinder the LGUs to participate in the evaluation as manifested in the well-attended Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony in 2018.
For 2021, amid COVID-19 pandemic, the Regional Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation Team (RNMET) of Central Luzon, composed of eighteen (18) technical representatives of the Central Luzon-Regional Nutrition Committee pursued ME using the virtual platform on 25 May 2021, with Pampanga Province as the first LGU to submit their documents/records via google link. Followed by the face-to-face ME with Tarlac Province on 14 May 2021 and Nueva Ecija Province on 31 May 2021, respectively. Another virtual ME on 3-4 June 2021 with Zambales Province. Another face-to-face ME with Bulacan Province on 16 June 2021 and again, a virtual ME with Bataan Province on 10-11 August 2021.
Completing the 9 areas for ME are Aurora Province on 16-18 August 2021and the remaining independent Cities of Angeles and Olongapo also for the rest of August.
Conducting MELLPI in the new normal is feasible because of the use of internet. Connectivity among the members of the regional and provincial nutrition committee can also be realized via zoom platform, but still “taking on ME is much better facing you because ME may also mean Mentoring while Evaluating!”
Author: NO III ANGELITA M. PASOS
