Pilar, Bohol – The Municipal Nutrition Committee (MNC) of this 4th class interior town of Bohol strengthen their implementation of the Local Nutrition Early Warning System - Food Nutrition Security (LNEWS-FNS) as they rekindle their journey in creating and maintaining this system in their municipality.
The LNEWS – FNS is a tool and a process for the city or municipality to identify, discuss, and analyze any existing, emerging, or impending problems that threaten food and nutrition security. It enables department heads and local chief executives to come together to identify, plan, and allocate resources for actions and provide responses to address food security issues in their locality. This is a form of monitoring and analysis of relevant information that may foretell a possible crisis such as a food shortage or health problems. It is the regular and periodic collection of relevant data (e.g., food production, climate, food prices, etc.) to determine the status of food supply and food security in the city or municipality.
Pilar MNC started the LNEWS-FNS on 9 September 2019. At that time, a consultative workshop was held at the Bohol Rice Processing Center Building, Poblacion, Pilar, Bohol, facilitated by the National Nutrition Council Region VII, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, Dr. Parolita A. Mission. There were five selected sentinel barangays, namely: 1. Estaca, 2. Bayong, 3. Bagacay, 4. Cansungay, and 5. La Suerte.
To start off the system, a training was held on 7-8 November 2019 in the adjacent municipality of Carmen. From then on, data and reports were collected regularly. The late Mr. Romeo T. Tariao who was the Municipal Nutrition Action Officer (MNAO) then, said that, hopefully, the trainees will truthfully apply the knowledge gained from the training and implement the system in the different sentinel barangays. Ms. Romanita S. Abo-abo who assumed the vacated post then facilitated the first monitoring and analysis of data in 2020 with technical backstopping from the NNC regional office.
Currently, Mr. Angelito M. Busano and Ms. Jaquelou B. Caverte are designated as MNAO and Municipal Nutrition Program Coordinator respectively manage the LNEWS-FNS. Both attended the 2022 LNEWS-FNS program implementation review held on 7 October 2022, through an online platform facilitated by the NNC 7 secretariat and refresher training held on 10-11 November 2022 at MJ Hotel, Cebu City.
Their eagerness to learn is one of the skills they have acquired, despite their being first time managing the program. With the support given by the NNC 7 secretariat, Provincial Nutrition Council secretariat, and Municipal Nutrition Committee Chairman and members, they are now ready to reinvigorate the program to ensure food and nutrition security in the municipality.
In Central Visayas, six LGUs implement the program including Pilar and Buenavista in Bohol; Alcantara, Carmen, and Dalaguete in Cebu; and Bais City in Negros Oriental. ND II Annie Claire B. Añasco, RND
