PALO, LEYTE – At long last, after several attempts in convening to craft out the nutrition plan, the Provincial Nutrition Committee (PNC) of the Province of Southern Leyte gathered once again to identify and integrate nutrition programs, projects, and activities (PPAs). This was accomplished during the two-day Workshop on Integrating Nutrition in the 2021 Annual Investment Program (AIP), which was held last November 5 and 6, 2020 at Eskinani Dayang Conference Room, Brgy. Mahayahay, Maasin City.
The AIP workshop aimed to finalize the local government unit scaled-up nutrition actions with corresponding budgets in the 2021 and 2022 AIP. These are all based on the priorities of the LGU’s updated Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP), Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and the Local Development Investment Program (LDIP) with focus on the first 1000 days and factoring in the ongoing and post-pandemic situation.
Prior to workshop proper, Gov. Damian G. Mercado, the Provincial Governor, in his message through the good Provincial Administrator, Mr. Jason Calva, mentioned that the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte is more than 100% supportive to the nutrition programs of the government. The good Governor mentioned that the foundation of the community development lies on the health and nutrition of the constituents. Hence, a need to scale up provincial plans for nutrition is needed and to invest in effective nutrition specific interventions to support the nutritional needs of its constituents especially the children, as he added.
In Addition, Dr. Feliciano John Matibag, Jr., the Provincial Health Officer II and Provincial Nutrition Action Officer (PNAO), expressed that nutrition is very important as a weapon to boost immune system and fight against COVID -19. Hence, the importance of the workshop will form part of the mitigation strategies during this time of the pandemic.
The statement was supported by a presentation of RNPC Dr. Catalino P. Dotollo, Jr. on the topic “Investing in Nutrition in the New Normal: Building Pandemic Resiliency of Local Governments through Investments in Nutrition”. RNPC Dotollo emphasized that malnutrition is a barrier to malnutrition resilience. The consequences of malnutrition lower the quality of our country’s human capital and development prospects. Thus, the inclusion of the vulnerable population including children, pregnant and lactating women is necessary.
The 2021 AIP of Southern Leyte included the National Food Authority (NFA) contributions for both nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive PPAs, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (PSWD) programs on supplementary feeding, the Technical and Vocational Education and Trainings (TVET) which provides knowledge and skills for employment, and the Province-wide Investment Plan for Health (PIPH) are some of the huge chunk provided in the AIP, among others.
Likewise, the workshop assured support from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan through its Chair Committee on Health SP Napoleon Regis in terms of funding and nutrition policy advocacies.
The Province of Southern Leyte is the home of nutrition champions in the region with Maasin City and the Municipality of Limasawa as recipients of the Nutrition Honor Award, the most prominent distinction given by the National Nutrition Council. #NASLabordo
