Have you ever noticed that the National Nutrition Council (NNC) logo is composed of many spoons? What do they represent? Malnutrition is seriously affecting millions of Filipinos most especially the vulnerable groups like pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and young children, and even school children. And this cannot be addressed by one agency alone. Addressing malnutrition requires collective efforts among government offices, non-government organizations, private sectors, and other stakeholders. This is the reason why NNC was created by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 491 “Nutrition Act of the Philippines”, which was signed on June 25, 1974 by the late President of the Philippines Ferdinand E. Marcos.
The NNC as mandated by law is the country's highest policy-making and coordinating body on nutrition. NNC is committed to ensuring improved access to quality nutrition and related interventions through the formulation and coordination of policies and programs with excellence, integrity, and transparency. NNC continually improves the quality management system to satisfy the needs and expectations of clients with strict adherence to existing laws, rules, and regulations.
The following functions of NNC are:
1. Formulate national food and nutrition policies and strategies and serve as the policy, coordinating and advisory body of food, nutrition and health concerns;
2. Coordinate planning, monitoring, and evaluation of the national nutrition program;
3. Coordinate the hunger mitigation and malnutrition prevention program to achieve relevant Millennium Development Goals;
4. Strengthen competencies and capabilities of stakeholders through public education, capacity building and skills development;
5. Coordinate the release of funds, loans, and grants from government organizations (GOs) and non-government organizations (NGOs); and
6. Call on any department, bureau, office, agency, and other instrumentalities of the government for assistance in the form of personnel, facilities and resources as the need arises.
The Council is composed of a Governing Board (GB) and a Secretariat. The Governing Board is the policy-making body of the NNC and is composed of the:
1. Secretary of Health, Chairperson
2. Secretary of Agriculture, Vice-Chair
3. Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Vice-Chair
4. Secretary of Budget and Management
5. Secretary of Education
6. Secretary of Labor and Employment
7. Secretary of Science and Technology
8. Secretary of Social Welfare and Development
9. Secretary of Trade and Industry
10. Director-General, National Economic and Development Authority
11. Three representatives from the private sector are appointed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines for a two-year term.
Improving the nutrition situation cannot be achieved by spoonfeeding alone nor by the generosity of a single sector’s spoon. It requires collaboration in creating and recreating ideas; seeking unity and totality of approach toward nutritional adequacy for all Filipinos. Be one of the spoons!
NO I Zhalimar Ali Jakaria-Patulada, RND
Reference:
About NNC
