The National Nutrition Council MIMAROPA conducted the second virtual monitoring activity on Local Nutrition Early Warning System for Food and Nutrition Security for the municipality of Coron, Palawan through Zoom application.
The monitoring activity was attended by three members of the Municipal Core Group namely Municipal Planning and Development Officer Mr. Ronald Lara, Municipal Agriculture Officer Mr. Geronimo Gevela, and Municipal Nutrition Action Officer Ms. Elizabeth Balbutan, together with the Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) from the five sentinel barangays. This activity aims to evaluate the LGU if the program is being implemented and integrated in the area.
Nutrition Officer I Ace Patriarca of NNC MIMAROPA facilitated the monitoring. A run through of the accomplished LNEWS tool for the first and second quarter of the year 2021 was done. Price alerts for both quarters for food items such as rice, pork meat, sugar and squash were observed because of increase in market price. Meanwhile, an increase in the prevalence for all forms of undernutrition was also reported for the second quarter. According to MNAO Balbutan, high cases of flu for the ages 6-59 months old that may have possibly caused the increased in prevalence of underweight, stunted, and wasted in the area.
As for rainfall and food production and delivery, there were no problems identifed as evidenced by normal results for the both quarters.
After monitoring proper, NO I Patriarca gave an advisory on the upcoming LNEWS Program Implementation Review that will be conducting by the central office on September 2021. The regional office will be providing an invitation letter to the LGUs with the implementing program. The meeting was adjourned afterwards.
The Local Nutrition Early Warning System for Food and Nutrition Security is mandated to be monitored twice in a year for the implementing local government units. NNC MIMAROPA has three municipalities with LNEWS-FNS program and these are Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro which was implemented in 2014, Coron, Palawan in 2018 and Narra, Palawan in 2019.
Written by: NO I Patriarca
