14 August 2019, Cagayan de Oro City – The National Nutrition Council X conducted series of capacity building on the establishment of Local Nutrition Early Warning System (LNEWS) in Talakag, Bukidnon to Local Nutrition Committee and various stakeholders. The LNEWS is a component of the Philippine Food and Nutrition Surveillance System to enable LGUs to take timely nutrition actions through early determination of underlying factors of malnutrition through monitoring of nutrition and nutrition-related indicators.
The Municipality of Talakag in the province of Bukidnon was identified as one of the expansion areas of LNEWS nationwide due to high prevalence of stunting of 26.57%, rank number 1 and 3 in the province and region respectively (2018 OPT). The LGU is also prone to natural calamities (landslide and flash flood) and other disaster affecting food and nutrition security.
As part of setting-up the LNEWS, a consultative workshop was held on 1-2 August 2019 at the Municipal Hall, Talakag, Bukidnon. It was attended by SB members, heads of offices, Municipal Nutrition Committee, BNS and BHW presidents. NNC X invited resource persons from selected line agencies such as DA, PAG-ASA, BFAR, and DOH and presented their programs and data being produced that may contribute to LGUs food and nutrition security and it’s monitoring system.
On 6-7 August 2019, the core group training followed at same venue. It aims to orient the LNEWS Team on secondary and primary data collection, process, collate and analyze data using LNEWS software tool; and how to interpret and convert raw data to useful information for decision-making. The identified LNEWS Team are the Municipal Nutrition Action Officer, Municipal Agriculturist, Tourism Officer, Municipal Health Office, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, ABC president, Municipal Sanitary Inspector and Sangguniang Bayan Committee on Health chair.
The training covers 12 technical sessions, from basic concepts of data collection, nutrition and nutrition-related data analysis, maintenance of the food and nutrition security early warning system and the use of the automated data management system, including the Operation Timbang (OPT) Plus automated tools.
The LNEWS team or core group are liable to strictly watch over the indicators and evolving challenges that may affect nutrition situation of vulnerable population, the 0-5 years old children in particular. The team should share results to the LCE and LNC for timely decision making, issuance of policies and identification of interventions.
Meanwhile, the third training was for the household data collectors held on 8-9 August 2019. The participants include the Municipal Nutrition Action Officer and her staff, Midwives, Barangay Nutrition Scholars, Barangay Health Workers from the five (5) identified sentinel barangays: Cosina, San Miguel, San Antonio, Sto. Niño and Tikalaan. The trained BNSs and BHWs will be responsible for the quarterly collection of primary data from 19 households randomly selected per barangay.
Mayor Vergito O. Factura who was present during the core group training pledged his support to the establishment of LNEWS and said that “this project of NNC will be part of our roadmap in addressing the high prevalence of stunting and other forms of malnutrition in Talakag’.
Municipality of Talakag is the 4th area in Northern Mindanao with established local nutrition early warning system aside from Ozamiz City, Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental and Kadingilan, Bukidnon. (NO II Liwayway S. Llorico)
