6 July 2021, Cagayan de Oro City – In its first semester meeting for 2021 held 8 June 2021, the Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC) X approved two resolutions related to the local government unit shepherding initiative:
- RNC Resolution No. 2, s2021 entitled “Adopting the LGU Shepherding Strategy for the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (2017-2022)”; and
- RNC Resolution No. 3, s2021 entitled “Reorganizing Northern Mindanao’s Mentoring Initiative for Nutrition (NorMIN) Regional Shepherding Team (RST)”.
Northern Mindanao formulated its LGU mobilization strategy in 2015 which involves high performing LGUs in nutrition to mentor or shepherd fellow local governments. Ultimately, this strategy aims to improve nutrition management performance for positive nutrition outcomes.
As this mechanism will be implemented in a national scale, the RNC X approved the above-mentioned resolutions. The NorMIN RST composed of select RNC member agencies and representatives from nutrition awardee LGUs shall be mobilized to realize the LGU shepherding initiative. Specific members for the NorMIN RST and their functions are identified in the second resolution enumerated.
With the passage of these resolutions, and the upcoming devolution of programs in 2022 through the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court ruling, the National Nutrition Council X is hopeful that LGUs will further step up their game in investing in the nutrition of their constituents by replicating and applying proven best practices from performing LGUs. (NO III Sheena Marie G. Talle)
