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- Category: Region 3
Last 5 June 2020, the National Nutrition Council Region III successfully organized and conducted its first ever webinar entitled “Webinar on Crafting A Nutrition Policy”.
The NNC invited three (3) speakers from various agencies such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), from the Office of Bayan Muna Representative Eufemia Cullamat and Nutrition Policy and Planning Division of the NNC-Central Office, to discuss topics related to policy-making in line with the agency’s objective of fulfilling its mandate as the country’s policy making and coordinating body on nutrition.
The webinar also aimed to 1) provide the members of the nutrition federated groups and Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) appreciation on the processes involved on how policies and laws are formulated at the national and geo-administrative levels; 2) assist the members of the nutrition federated group in the crafting of nutrition policies and laws at the provincial, city, municipal, and barangay levels; 3) provide the members of the nutrition federated groups and the RTWG members knowledge on the processes involved in the policy review; and 4) address gaps that the Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team (RNET) identified during the monitoring and evaluation visits.
Nutrition workers from different LGUs were present for the webinar such as the Provincial/City/Municipal Nutrition Action Officers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars, representatives of the RNC member agencies like the Civil Service Commission, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Health-Central Luzon Center for Health and Development, DILG, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry. A former staff from the NNC-Region I who is now working at the LGU requested to join the webinar. Also the three (3) Nutritionist-Dietitians from Aurora Province, under the HRH Program of the DOH were able to participate in the activity.
“IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, GENERALLY, POLICY FORMULATION STARTS WITH THE PLANNING PROCESS.”-ATTY. PAULINO.
Attorney Charmaine Jacqueline Paulino, Attorney IV of the DILG-Regional Office III, was the first speaker with the topic “How policies and laws are crafted at the local levels,” where she first discussed and defined the term “policy” and the stages of policy process. Atty. Paulino emphasized that with the aid of various plans, LGUs are expected to more effectively manage their own local development and be more autonomous.
Read more: NNC-Region III Conducts Its First Ever Webinar on Crafting Nutrition Policy
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As the world continue to face the deadly pandemic, COVID-19, majority of people shifted online for their everyday interactions and transactions. This also applies for various industries which is making use of the convenience and easy accessibility of the internet to continue with their operations, thus, majority of companies and organizations, both private and government, shifting to work-from-home schemes for the time-being. With this shift to work-from-head, government agencies also started organizing meetings and webinars of sorts using the countless available platforms online like Zoom, Google Meets, Messenger, etc, as mass gatherings and face-to-face interaction are strictly prohibited. These applications were of huge help in organizing such virtual meetings as information exchange and dissemination is vital during this time. Work-from-home schemes, webinars, and virtual meetings filed our days instead of the usual day in the office, which has been dubbed as “the new normal.”
With this transition to using the internet as the main source of communication during this pandemic, the National Nutrition Council Region III also made it a point to organize events online. Starting with the staff familiarizing with the web-based applications to be used for virtual meetings, to holding virtual meetings with various nutrition-federated groups such as the Central Luzon Advocates and Regional Nutrition Information Network (CLARINET) and the Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC). Last 14 May 2020, NNC-Region III successfully convened the 1st Quarter Meeting of the Regional Nutrition Cluster (RNC) via Google Meets. The meeting was presided by the Chair of the committee, Regional Director Cesar C. Cassion, MD, MPH, CSEE, CESO IV of the Department of Health-Central Luzon Center for Health Development (DOH-CL CHD). During the meeting, the NNC-Region III staff presented the following topics to the RNC members:
- Pre-COVID 19 Nutrition Situation;
- Gaps and Needs of Nutrition Supplies;
- Regional Nutrition Cluster Initiatives and Response;
- Good practices and challenges;
- Executive Order No. 51 or Milk Code and its Revised IRR;
- Actions requested from the RNC member agencies; and
- Guidelines on the “Be Fit and Stronger Challenge.”
The 1st Quarter Meeting gave way for the RNC member agencies to share their accomplishments and their good practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), as a partner of the Department of Agriculture (DA), is continuously studying the consequences in terms of food security in the country. They also issued a memo regarding issuance of food passes; facilitated local transport of fish harvest; provided relief operation (specifically 91 frozen packs; 40 thousand sardines distributed to fisherfolk, frozen chicken, bacon and 900 kilos of rice to indigenous people (IPs) of Casiguran, Aurora); produced 2.9 million fingerlings and implemented the “Balik-Sigla Ilog” to fisherfolk; and continuous monitoring of prices and production of fish to make sure there is enough supply up to 90 days. BFAR also highlighted their accomplishment as the number one region in aquaculture in the country.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) shared to the committee that before the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was implemented in various parts of Luzon, they were able to establish a Health and Wellness Committee, which includes a physical activity program for the employees every week. The CSC also mentioned that their staff were given one week leave with pay to make way for their annual physical examination, with the staff receiving Php2,500.00 welfare fund each, as well as continuous monitoring of employees with non-communicable diseases.
Read more: Highlighting the Central Luzon RNC’s Good Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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There is one famous quote on timing which says “Things come suitable to the time” (Enid Bagnold) and this holds true with the very timely conduct of Information Management Trainings just before the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon on March 16, 2020.
A month prior to issuance of Proclamation No. 922 on “Declaring a State of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines” by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, the Department of Health (DOH) Central Luzon Center for Health Development (CL CHD) and National Nutrition Council (NNC) Region III spearhead two (2) batches of Training for Local Government Units on Information Management (IM) on Nutrition in Emergencies on 18-20 February 2020 and 26-28 February 2020 at the Otel Pampanga, Skye Plaza, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.
The three-day trainings were aimed at building the capacities of provincial and city/municipal nutrition cluster members on nutrition information management. Developing capacities at the local levels will facilitate better processing, analysis, and flow of information for use in decision making.
The prompt and successful response by the nutrition cluster during disasters and emergencies, however, requires correct and reliable and recent data about the areas and the people affected and inherent capacities of the areas to respond, generated through an information management system. Such information are essential in planning and providing appropriate, adequate and timely nutrition interventions, and in formulating comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation plan. Review of nutrition cluster responses and gaps is also vital to improve future nutrition response.
Specifically, the two trainings also aimed at 1) developing competencies on nutrition cluster information management components including data collection, processing, analysis, visualization and dissemination; and 2) developing knowledge and skills on using the six (6) Nutrition Cluster Information Management tools for nutrition planning, program implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of IM activities.
The training consisted of four (4) modules – Module 1 on Overview of Information Management in support to Nutrition in Emergencies in the Philippines; Module 2 on Information Management Concepts and Tools; Module 3 on Roles of the Information Management Officer (IMO) in the Humanitarian Context and the Data Privacy Act; and Module 4 on Planning for a Functional Information System for Nutrition in Emergencies.
All seven (7) provinces and 14 cities in Central Luzon were represented and expressed their gratitude during the commencement of the training and mentioned how they learned and realized the importance of information management and how it can effectively help them in the activation and management of their respective nutrition clusters.
Read more: Information Management Trainings – A Timely Response to COVID 19 Pandemic
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Exercise should be regarded as tribute to the heart. – Gene Tunney
The Central Luzon (CL) Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) led by its Chair, DOH CL CHD Regional Director Cesar C. Cassion approved the implementation of the “Be Fit and Stronger” Challenge contest. The approval was made during the First CL Regional Nutrition Cluster meeting through google meet on 14 May 2020.
The contest is a revival of the biggest loser challenge in 2010, spearheaded by the DOH CL CHD, now dubbed as “Be Fit and Stronger” Challenge, proposed by RD Cassion and RD William Beltran of the Philippine Information Agency-Regional Office III during the Third Quarter Meeting of the CL RCN on 20 November 2019.
The contest aims to reduce the prevalence of overnutrition among government employees in the region which will run for six months, from 1 September 2020 to 22 February 2021.
The terms “be fit and stronger” were highlighted as the “project title” to emphasize that a person engaged in physical activity should not only be concerned in having a “trimmed” body but should also have endurance and strength when exposed to strenuous activity.
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Ingenuity is one characteristic that would describe Filipinos, even amid COVID 19 pandemic.
When President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed Proclamation Order No. 22, “Declaring a State of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines”, all local government units (LGUs) strategically devised schemes to protect their respective constituents not just from contracting the COVID 19 infection but from food insecurity as well.
From the standard family food packs consisting of rice, coffee, canned goods and noodles, a number of LGUs added variety to the “food basket” such as the inclusion of fruits and vegetables, live chicken, eggs, hot meals and even vegetable seeds to encourage food production while on enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). Indeed, in the midst of crisis, Filipinos never ran out of ideas.
In this article, the National Nutrition Council Region III will share some of the unique practices of selected LGUs in Central Luzon that are noteworthy of praise and perhaps can also be replicated in other areas.
Mabalacat City. In response to the Nutrition Cluster Guidelines on LGUs Nutrition Actions Relative to COVID 19 issued by the National Nutrition Cluster on 23 March 2020, introduced MCG’s NUTRIPACK which consisted of vegetables, fruits, eggs, bread, iodized salt and multivitamins for children and nutritionally-at-risk pregnant women, teenage pregnant and indigents. MCG stands for Mabalacat City Government. The MCG’s NUTRIPACK is a relief pack which serves as an alternative project to dietary supplementation programs for malnourished and pregnant women.
The city is the youngest component city of the Province of Pampanga and was recognized as the 2019 Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) First Year Maintenance Awardee.
Nutriskwela Community Radio Network Stations Providing Reliable Information amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
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A world without radio is a deaf world. A world without television is a blind world. A world without telephone is a dumb world. A world
without communication is indeed a crippled world. - Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
As the nation continues its plight in fighting the deadly virus that has spread across the globe, one province in Central Luzon has stood out amongst the others, and this is the Province of Aurora.
Despite the country’s recording of its first ever reported local transmission last 7 March 2020, that has resulted in Luzon and its associated islands being imposed under Enhanced Community Quarantine on 16 March 2020 by the government, until as of this publishing time of the article, the Province of Aurora has successfully reported zero cases of confirmed COVID-19 positive patients. This triumph is the results of combined efforts from the Aurora’s local government units (LGUs), the constituents, and most importantly, the front-liners who tirelessly did their duty. It is also worth mentioning that it was not just the medical front-liners who helped, but the peace-keeping military and police squads, the agriculture, food manufacturing, and delivery employees, and also the media people who also tirelessly continued to provide the people with news that are accurate and timely.
As the only province in the Central Luzon that has an established Nutriskwela Community Radio Network Station for both the Municipality of Dingalan and Municipality of Casiguran in Aurora Province, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) Region III believes that the community radio stations also provided a way to the people of Aurora to be able to get reliable news. The NNC-Region III sought information from the people working behind the scenes of the two radio stations (Radyo Kaedup 102.9 FM and Radyo Kawadi 100.7 FM for Dingalan and Casiguran, Aurora, respectively.)
