Aside from the annual celebration of the Nutrition Month every July, the National Disaster Resilience Month is also observed throughout the country by virtue of Executive Order No. 29, s. 2017. This year we are guided by the theme “Tamang Pamamahala’t Kahandaan, Kaalaman at Pagtutulungan sa Sakuna at Pandemya’y Kalasag ng Bayan”. The theme emphasizes the significant role of disaster risk governance and the collaboration of all Filipinos to overcome the challenges of this pandemic and to build a green and resilient normal (NDRRMC, 2021).
One of the efforts of the government in response to emergencies and disasters is the cluster approach which was officially adopted by the Philippines in 2007; with its adoption some functions have been permanently integrated into government agencies which includes sectoral coordination mechanisms, with a mandate to address both emergency response and preparedness. These mechanisms are referred to nationally as ‘clusters’ which focuses on preparedness in normal times and respond to all emergencies when they hit. Under the Health Cluster, the Nutrition Cluster is spearheaded by the National Nutrition Council with UNICEF as co-lead agency. Nutrition Cluster was also organized in the seventeen regions by the NNC Regional Offices, which also provide technical support to Local Nutrition Committees who also serve as the Local Nutrition Clusters during emergencies.
The Nutrition Cluster aims to ensure that the nutritional status of affected population especially the most vulnerable groups, e.g. infants, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, older persons, persons with disabilities, and people with debilitating conditions, will not worsen or deteriorate due to the impact of emergency and disaster through the linking with other cluster groups and establishing capacities at all levels. The Nutrition Cluster supports and does not replace existing national capacities. It contributes to coordination mechanisms on the ground. With this, various local governments throughout the country should establish nutrition cluster at the regional, provincial, municipal, city and barangay levels.
The Local Nutrition Clusters operationalize the Nutrition in Emergencies (NiE) program under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022. This program aims to capacitate the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees (LDRRMC) and Local Nutrition Clusters to integrate nutrition in their DRRM plan in their local government units. This capacity enables the LGUs to protect and prevent the worsening of the nutritional status of the vulnerable population during emergencies. Further, a fully functional information management system was also developed by the NNC and the Department of Health’s Health Emergency Management Bureau, in close coordination with members of the national and local nutrition clusters to facilitate timely and appropriate nutrition response.
Through these initiatives we are secured that Filipinos are empowered to become resilient in the face of disaster and emergencies. NNC X continuously commits to further raise awareness and empower our LGUs in emergencies and disasters to ensure better nutrition outcomes for the people in Region 10. (NO I Liezel Joy D. Reyes)
References:
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. (23 June 2021). Observance of the National Disaster Resilience Month 2021. Retrieved on 14 July 2021 from https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/4164/NDRRMC_Memo_No_61_s-2021.pdf
Global Nutrition Cluster. (2019). Global Nutrition Cluster: Philippines. Retrieved on 14 July 2021 from https://www.nutritioncluster.net/Philippines
ENN. (2014). Philippines Nutrition Cluster: lessons learnt from the response to Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Retrieved on 14 July 2021 from https://www.ennonline.net/fex/52/nutritionclusterphilippines
National Nutrition Council. (January 2021). Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022: A Call for Urgent Action for Filipinos and its Leadership.
