Cebu City – The nutrition program managers in Central Visayas committed to organize Nutrition Clusters in their respective local government units and complete the remaining batches of Promote Good Nutrition – Infant and Young Child Feeding (PGN-IYCF) training for barangays. These were among the major agreements reached by the Nutrition Action Officers (NAOs) who attended the 3^rd Quarter Regional Management Conference held on 28 to 29 August 2014 at the Cebu Grand Hotel, Cebu City.

Nutrition Cluster is a coordination mechanism that aims to ensure effective and strategic emergency nutrition responses. This is composed of government, non-government organization and international humanitarian agencies that take the lead in nutrition management during emergencies and disasters. The cluster mainly focuses on overall response coordination, partner capacity-building, assessment and emergency preparedness, and improving coverage of emergency nutrition programmes. The organization of nutrition clusters is in response to the National Nutrition Council Governing Board Resolution No. 1 s. 2000, adopting the DOH National Policy on Nutrition Management in Emergencies and Disasters. The policy specifies the guidelines to be followed in the delivery of nutrition and nutrition related services for the vulnerable groups during emergencies and disasters. The DOH Department Personnel Order 2007-2492 designated NNC as the chair of the Nutrition Cluster within the Health Emergency Cluster.

Promote Good Nutrition (PGN) program of the NNC on the other hand, started its implementation in 2007 as a component program of the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program. The PGN includes the conduct of training for community-based implementers that covers infant and young child counselling, Pabasa sa Nutrisyon, promotion of eggs and vegetables using developed syllabi, and the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos. It also includes the production and distribution of IEC materials to local government units and schools and the conduct of multi-media campaign on nutrition. The PGN aims to improve the food and nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices of families.

The two (2) day conference that aims to keep the program managers abreast on updates regarding the nutrition program and discuss operational concerns was attended by 35 NAOs and/or their representatives. The conference was facilitated by Dr. Parolita A. Mission, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, together with Dr. Maria Elizabeth T. Sedillo, CeVANAO President and Tanjay CNAO and Ms. Julieta B. Manliguez, President of NPCAR 7 and Bohol DNPC. The Conference also covered updates on the organization of Provincial BNS, D/C/MNPC and NAO Associations, policy formulation at the local level, guidelines for local nutrition planning, guidelines for issuance of BNS certification as part of the requirement for Civil Service Eligibility, BNS program, formulation of 2015 work and operational plans. Likewise, it also tackled 2014 OPT results, implementation of WHO-CGS, functionality of local nutrition committees, MELLPI and analysis of MELLPI score sheets and search of outstanding BNS. The Regional ManCon also discussed status of trainings, monitoring on PGN trainings, 2014 Nutrition Month Report, NAO and BNS National Conference, 10th Regional BNS Congress, 10^th Regional NAO Congress, Pinggang Pinoy and Ten Kumainments.//DFB