Tutok Kainan aims to provide additional food to pregnant women for 90 calendar days with priority to those who are nutritionally at-risk or undernourished. The Tutok Kainan program will be implemented to monitor and evaluate an integrated nutrition program that helps ensure delivery of complementary early childhood care and development services in the first 1000 days pursuant to RA 11148.
NNC partnered with ARBOs under the stewardship of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to purchase fresh produce directly from local farmers, fisherfolks, and cooperatives for the distribution of healthy and nutritious hotmeals to nutritionally-at-risk pregnant women beneficiaries of the Tutok Kainan Supplementation Program for 30 days. It can also contribute to the livelihood of small farmers and fisherfolk, and thus furthers the efforts towards food security.
The activity started with an Opening Prayer led by NO III Sheryl C. Sedantes and followed by the singing of the national anthem. To officially welcome the guests RNPC Reginaldo T. Guillen gave his opening message and overview of the activity.
“As we now embarked on the second and third month of this dietary supplementation program, we have successfully closed an agreement with the DAR and the ARBOs here in Negros Occidental and what we are about to do today is to seal this agreement. ” RNPC Guillen said in his opening message.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles, chairperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger gave a Keynote Message, he said “The goal then was to empower the farmers by ensuring that they will be able to access land that they have been tilling for ages. The goal now remains, empowerment, but this time we must make sure that empowerment embodies as well economic empowerment, so it is overwhelming to note that these ARBOs whom we are going to sign an agreement to, will be the ones to provide the necessary raw materials and ingredients to our target LGUs for another battle that we must win, and that is malnutrition. “
“As we continue to implement EPAHAP as the banner program of the task force zero hunger. Alalahanin po natin, huwag nating kalimutan ang 4 objective natin which is tulungan ang ating mga magsasaka na tumaas yung kanilang ani at kita, we must also ensure food and nutrition security and we must end hunger and malnutrition in urban and rural communities.” adds Cabsec Nograles,
Ms. Virginia N. Orogo, Undersecretary for Support Services, DAR also mentioned in her message the goal to help the ARBOs “Our goal is to help our ARBOs increase their income thereby we also address hunger and poverty.”
In her message, NNC Executive Director, Dr. Azucena M. Dayanghirang said: “The MOU and MA are not just documentary requirements rather these are legal and bounding documents between parties who are willing to engage in an endeavor that is a win-win for both parties in order to provide incomes to our farmer and ARBOs, ensure food security, and contribute to the fight against malnutrition especially against stunting.”
Regional Director of DAR RVI, Atty. Shiela B. Enciso congratulated NNC and ARBOs in her message “continue to produce more crops, legumes, vegetables, poultry and deliver your commitment to the National Nutrition Council and to the rest of the greater market. With the official signing of the original MOU as well as the Marketing Agreement, we are sealing our commitment and deliverables in this partnership. An individual commitment to a group effort is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, and a civilization work. Congratulations to our ARBOs and NNC!”
An Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization Representative Ms. Merle Guanco expressed her gratefulness to the partner agencies on her message.
Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, PHOII/PNAO of Negros Occidental gave the closing remarks emphasizing the support of the province to the program “Rest assured that the Governor is all support with the program of NNC and other programs that address malnutrition. Thank you!”
