ILOILO CITY:  Representatives of twelve (12) Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) gathered for a one-day forum, organized by the National Nutrition Council.  The NGO forum held at the EON Centennial Hotel is aimed at mobilizing various NGOs to scale up efforts to address the country’s nutrition problems.  The event mainly highlighted the presentation of the various programs and services that the NGOs are implementing as well as their respective areas of operation in Region 6.

Nutrition Officer IV Reginaldo T. Guillen, representative of the NNC, also presented the upcoming Philippine Plan of Action for 2017-2022 (PPAN 2017-2022), which is the country’s framework for action for nutrition program implementation.  PPAN provides the strategic direction as well as the targets to address the country’s lingering problem of malnutrition.  According to NNS in 2015, 33.4% of the country’s children are stunted, or an equivalent of 3.8 Million children.   If not immediately addressed, these numbers will impact on the country future generation in terms of educational outcomes and economic productivity.

Ms. Nona Tad-y, the Nutrition Program Coordinator for Region 6, expressed gratitude for the positive responses from NGOs in the region as they are deemed a crucial partner, along with local government units in the implementation of nutrition programs.   “One of our strategy to address stunting in the Philippines focused on maternal and young child health and nutrition, and the NNC is now coordinating a program called First 1000 Days (F1K), and for Region 6, both Iloilo and Negros are included in the priority areas”   With this program, we hope to strengthen partnerships with both NGOs and local government units, said RNPC Tad-y.

For more information, write or call the NATIONAL NUTRITION COUNCIL, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.nnc.gov.ph and facebook.com/nncofficial. Twitter: @NNC_official.