After more than a year, the National Nutrition Council Regional Office 9 was able to initially conduct two face-to-face meetings in the two (2) provinces of Zamboanga Peninsula. Headed by Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Nimfa D. Ekong together with Nutrition Officer III Elton N. Pelegrino and Administrative Aide VI Cielo Katrina M. Mabalot, NNC-IX was able to meet again the nutrition action officers physically to conduct the Provincial Meeting of Nutrition Action Officers (NAOs) in Zamboanga Sibugay at Diplahan Tropical Resort on 23 February 2021 and the Provincial Meeting of NAOs in Zamboanga del Sur at Hotel Guillermo, Pagadian City on 24 February 2021.
Having the same agenda, the successive meetings were attended by fifteen (15) participants in Zamboanga Sibugay and thirty-one (31) in Zamboanga del Sur which consist of NAOs and District/City/Municipal Nutrition Program Coordinators. These meetings were called purposely to discuss the new e-OPT Plus Tool, MELLPI Pro, the Tutok Kainan: Dietary Supplementation Program and to address concerns that may arise during the discussion.
During the meeting, NO III Pelegrino discussed the new e-OPT Tool for Acute Malnutrition. He mentioned that said tool was conceived due to the fact that children with acute malnutrition are nine times more likely to die compared to their well-nourished counterpart. During the presentation, he enumerated the key features of the electronic tool where severely a . He also discussed about MELLPI Pro. It was talked about during the meeting that the monitoring and evaluation for this year will push through (some of the evaluation will be done virtually) amidst the pandemic. More importantly, NO III Pelegrino discussed the importance of the Tutok Kainan: Dietary Supplementation Program. It was reiterated during the meeting that the LGUs should already send the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the final masterlists of pregnant women for Zamboanga del Sur and 4-23 months children for Zamboanga Sibugay. NPC Ekong and NO III Pelegrino emphasized the immediate and urgent compliance of the needed information and deliverables from them because the program will already commence this March.
NPC Ekong also reminded the participants to submit the three (3) names and contact numbers of their chosen barangay implementers, preferably a BNS, Barangay Health Worker (BHW), and the barangay midwife or NDDP or Nutrition Aide. This is for the load allowance to be given to them as program implementers in their respective barangays.
Provincial NAOs Grace F. Sumogue and Marelene P. Garcia of Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay respectively gave a short message before the meeting ended to remind their respective Municipal and City NAOs to really comply with the deliverables need to be submitted in the Regional Office. They also stressed the importance of the immediate compliance in order for the Tutok Kainan: Dietary Supplementation Program to be successful in their provinces.
NO I Cielo Katrina M. Mabalot
