Cebu – A total of 42 local chief executives in the municipalities of Tuburan and Dalaguete, Cebu gave their commitment and pledge their support for the implementation of the Early Childhood Care and Development Intervention Package for the First 1000 Days (ECCD/IP F1K) during the recently conducted Policy Forum as a segment of the  ECCD Caravan held in the Municipality of Tuburan and Dalaguete on 28 and 29 July 2016 respectively.

Aiming to gather support of local chief executives, the policy forum was added to the ECCD Caravan as a breakaway session to come up with sustainable actions in support of the ECCD-IP /First 1000 Days Implementation as well as generate counterpart funds for the program and for other nutrition and nutrition-sensitive interventions for the municipalities implementing the program.

Cebu PNAO Dr. Cynthia T. Genosolango, also present during the policy forum, requested the barangay officials to strengthen their Barangay Nutrition Committees and support the Barangay Nutrition Scholar Program as they are the prime movers of ECCD/IP in the barangays.

Twenty four Barangay captains from Tuburan and 16 from Dalaguete attended the Policy Forum in their respective Municipal Session Halls along with their respective Municipal Mayors, Hon. Democrito M. Diamante of Tuburan and Hon. Ronald Allan G. Cesante of Dalaguete, Cebu to discuss ECCD interventions and the role of chief executives in the implementation of said program.

NNC 7 Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Dr. Parolita A. Mission, during her overview presentation of the ECCD/IP, stressed that the ECCD  covers 0-8 years old but with an even more refined focus on the first 1000 days, “globally considered golden window of opportunity” for interventions that aim to achieve maximum potential of child’s growth and development.  Dr. Mission also emphasized the important role of LCEs as father of their respective municipalities and barangays by giving equal importance to nutrition along with their other pet projects.

Municipal Vice-Mayor of Tuburan, Cebu Hon. Danilo M. Diamante promised to find and provide financial support to the program. Dalaguete Mayor Hon. Cesante on the other hand encouraged all his barangay captains to help the program and ensure safe motherhood interventions for a better generation in the future.

The ECCD/IP F1K is a program that aims to contribute to the full development of the child through integrated services of health, nutrition, early education, and social services for improved quality of the country’s human resource base as a contribution to reduce poverty. This will support local health, nutrition, and early learning programs through the provision of material, funding, and technical support for the delivery of ECCD-related services.//NVS