BUTUAN CITY – The Provincial/ City Nutrition Action Officers ( PCNAOs) and District/ City Nutrition Program Coordinators (DCNPCs) of Caraga region convened for its First Meeting of the year on 12 January 2023 at Balanghai Hotel, Butuan City.

The meeting was attended by nineteen (19) PCNAOs and DCNPCs from the five provinces and four cities (Bayugan City, Butuan City, Tandag City, and Surigao City). The attendees were welcomed by RNPC Niño Archie S. Labordo of the National Nutrition Council Caraga.

In his welcome message, RNPC Labordo expressed his gratefulness to the Local Nutrition Focal Points who opted to attend the meeting despite the weather condition and for facing 2022 with vigor and versatility and looking forward to a better and meaty nutrition program implementation in 2023.

The meeting was purposely conducted for the Nutrition Action Officers and Coordinators to align, prioritize and timeline major programs, projects, and activities, in 2023 and with the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2023-2028.

It also aimed to discuss the relevant updates and changes in the schedules of activities such as the conduct of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation Protocol (MELLPI Pro) and Regional Nutrition Awarding Ceremony.

In order to formally plan for 2023, Nutrition Officer II Leah Vina Vargas presented the agenda to be discussed in the meeting. Six items were laid out for nutrition policy and Planning and five agendas for nutrition surveillance.

Among the discussions was that the recall survey would be one of the basis in identifying programs, activities and projects (PAPs) for Local Nutrition Action Plans (LNAP), which will help intensify nutrition promotion and advocacy.

Emphasized also in the meeting was the conduct of quality training for nutrition workers, particularly the Barangay Nutrition Scholars for more improved capacity development.

The overview and updates of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition and the Philippine Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Project were mentioned.

Additionally, the status of the BNS Civil Service Eligibility application and BNS traveling allowance requests were shown with corresponding remarks.

The status of the Local Nutrition Action Plan of the Local Government Units of Caraga, DSP-Tutok Kainan for Phases 3, 4, and 5, regional nutrition situation of 2022, Local Nutrition Committee functionality, inventory of anthropometric tools, and mapping of capacity development were also presented.

With the meeting of the nutrition associations, RNPC Labordo hoped that meaningful nutrition implementation will be maximized coupled with time management and proper alignment so as to serve the vulnerable and the less sectors in the community. #DMOIIMPRayco