TACLOBAN CITY – The Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG), together with the Provincial and City Nutrition Action Officers (P/CNAOs), District and City Nutrition Program Coordinators (D/CNPCs), and the Harmonized Initiatives of Media for the Spread of Good Nutrition in Region 8 (HIMSoG-8) gathered for a joint meeting on February 21 at Hotel Alejandro, Tacloban City to discuss the nutrition surveillance results of the year 2019, as well as the agencies targets and commitments.

According to the 2019 Operation Timbang Plus (OPT) report, the prevalence of underweight is 7.9%, stunting is 18%, wasting is 4.4%, and overweight and obesity is 4.2%. As compared to the 2018 OPT report, in which the prevalence of underweight was 8.6%, stunting was 19.3%, wasting was 5.1%, and overweight and obesity was 4.1%, the region’s malnutrition prevalence has significantly declined.

In Eastern Visayas, Samar province has the highest prevalence of both Underweight and Stunting. Leyte province, on the other hand, has the highest prevalence of Wasting, and Eastern Samar has the highest prevalence of Overweight and Obesity. Meanwhile, among the cities in Eastern Visayas, Catbalogan City has the highest prevalence of all the indicators of malnutrition.

These OPT results provide information on the nutritional status of the preschoolers and the community in general, which in turn generates data for nutritional assessment, planning, management and evaluation of local nutrition programs and in identifying who will be given priority interventions in the community.

The 2019 OPT coverage was also one of the matters discussed during the joint meeting. In 2019, the OPT percent coverage was only 74.3%; although higher than the 2018 OPT coverage which was 61.3%, it is still considered low as it is below 80%.

Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Catalino Dotollo, Jr. encouraged NAOs to provide the actual number of children based on the Reaching Every Barangay (REB) data to justify their percent coverage.

The line agencies and partner organizations involved in nutrition were also urged to submit their accomplishments, as well as their commitments to nutrition. NOII Ullasini Pangan emphasized the need to submit their signed reports and commitments to NNC.

The government agencies and partner organizations present during the meeting were DA, DBM, NEDA, DepEd, DILG, DOH, DSWD, DTI, EVA-BNS, EVSU-Tacloban, FDA, HIMSoG-8, Plan International, PopCom, Rotary Club, VSU-BIDANI, World Vision, BFAR, DAR, DPWH, PNP, and PCA. #NO1DAFLendero