TACLOBAN CITY — Members of the nutrition planning core team in the Municipality of Hinundayan gathered together to prepare for a new in the 2021 nutrition program implementation through a Workshop on Integrating Nutrition in the 2021 Annual Investment Plan (AIP) on 28-29 September 2020 at the Municipal Auditorium, Hinundayan, Southern Leyte.
The local budget exercise was the first among local government units (LGUs) in the Province of Southern Leyte. This was attended by the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) on Health, Municipal Health Officer (MHO), Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC), Municipal Budget Officer (MBO), Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO), Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO), Public Health Nurse (PHN), and nurses deployed from Department of Health (DOH).
After the two-day workshop, the team was able to propose around 2 million of nutrition programs, projects and activities (PPAs) to be integrated in the 2021 AIP. Included as priority are the dietary supplementation for children ages 6-23 months and dietary supplementation for nutritionally at-risk women. Likewise, the team included activities that will strengthen Local Nutrition Action Plan (LNAP) to include nutritional assessment materials, support to Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) and information and education materials to be distributed to the 17 barangays in the municipality.
In the presentation of the re-entry plan, MPDC Ma. Bella J. Gilbuena relayed that the workshop is timely as the municipality is at stage of budget hearing. She also mentioned that the listed PPAs are but aligned with the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) and answers the call of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) particularly SDG No. 2, end hunger, achieve food security and improved and promote sustainable agriculture.
National Nutrition Council (NNC) Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, Dr. Catalino P. Dotollo, Jr. encouraged the team to work further to zero in malnutrition in the municipality. In 2019 Operation Timbang Plus (OPT+), the municipality recorded a 12.24% prevalence of stunting with 0.94% wasting. The reduced percentage of malnutrition in the municipality is a significant contribution to the overall malnutrition state of Eastern Visayas, he relayed.
The local planning and budgeting exercise for nutrition is supported by DILG MC 2018-42 dated 26 March 2018, DBM Local Budget Memorandum No. 77 dated 15 May 2018, and LBM No. 78 dated 15 May 2019., and the DILG-DOH-NNC Joint Memorandum Circular 2019-0001 which enjoins local governments to integrate nutrition actions into the local development plans, investment programs, and budgets for 2020-2022. # NASLabordo
