12 April 2022, Cagayan de Oro City – In Lanao del Norte Province, the Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program (TK DSP) continues its social preparation efforts. The National Nutrition Council (NNC) X held another session of TK DSP and SMS Reporting System Orientation. Further, initial information about the program expansion for Phase V was disseminated.

Last 7 April 2022, Provincial Nutrition Focal Point (PNFP) Lizelle L. Bete of NNC X conducted the TK DSP and SMS RS Orientation at the Municipality of Balo-i. The Municipal Mayor Hanifa P. Ali, Municipal Nutrition Action Officer Jonaidah S. Pinatara, Development Management Officer IV Alana B. Pala, and other nutrition workers from the RHU, Punong Barangay, and Barangay Kagawad, as well as their BNSs from the program's two (2) recipient barangays, were in attendance.

During the orientation, PNFP Bete gave program updates, overview, objectives, components, priority groups, social preparatory needs, and the responsibilities of local government units (LGUs) and beneficiary barangays during the orientation including the SMS reporting system from receipt of commodities to distribution of goods to the 6-23 months old beneficiaries.

In line with the social preparatory requirements, Mayor Ali pledged her support to the program and offered to provide cooking utensils for the preparation of wet feeding and further suggested that each barangay will have a hired and paid cook for the duration of the project. As a result, the LGU and the barangay would plan and arrange the preparation and cooking of meals for the wet feeding.

Further, both barangays will hold a meeting to discuss program preparations such as storage facilities for both dry and wet feeding schemes, community kitchens, and beneficiary mothers' orientation. One of the agenda items to be included and addressed at the meeting will be plans for actual feeding and monthly monitoring of nutritional status. Following that, in addition to the Phases III and IV that are currently being prepared in the province, the program will be expanded to Phase V with nine (9) municipalities serving as program recipient areas, targeting pregnant women as the beneficiaries.

Hence, PNFP Bete visited the towns of Pantar and Matungao to deliver initial information and a brief overview of the program, focusing on the program's target number of pregnant women beneficiaries in each municipality. The municipality will be notified of any further program updates.

More program orientations and other social preparatory activities will be pushed out to the rest of the program recipient municipalities as the initiative develops, putting Lanao del Norte one step closer to adopting the Tutok Kainan DSP. (PNFP Lizelle Bete)