LGUs urged to submit approved Annual Investment Plan with nutrition allocations

By JACK C. GADAINGAN
July 18, 2019

TACLOBAN CITY – Department of Health Region VIII (DoH-8) Regional Nutrition Program Manager Felecita R. Borata called on the lead-nutrition workers representing local government units (LGUs) to submit to the National Nutrition Council Region 8 (NNC-8) the approved year 2019 Annual Investment Plan (AIP) from their respective LGUs.

This came about after Niño Archie S. Labordo, NNC-8 Nutrition Officer III, presented the status of 2019 AIP submissions from Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) focus areas. Reportedly the LGUs that have submitted their approved 2019 AIPs are: the towns of Caibiran, Biliran, Villareal, Tarangnan, Sta. Rita and Daram, and the Province of Northern Samar.

No submissions yet were received from the provincial LGU of Biliran and its six remaining municipalities; the provincial LGU of Samar including its two cities and 20 municipalities; 22 municipalities of Northern Samar; and the provincial LGU of Eastern Samar, its capital city and 22 municipalities.

This was gathered during the Joint Nutrition Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG), Province/City Nutrition Action Officers (P/CNAOs) and District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators (D/CNPCs) first quarter meeting held on March 1, 2019 at Alejandro Hotel, here.

The same call was reiterated during the same RTWG, P/CNAOs, and D/CNPCs joint second quarter meeting held on June 11, 2019 at the COA Training Center, Palo, Leyte.

The four provinces considered as focus-areas for the implementation of PPAN 2017-2022 in Region 8 are: Eastern Samar, its component 22 municipalities and one city; Northern Samar and component 24 municipalities; Samar and component 24 municipalities and two cities; and the island-province of Biliran and eight component municipalities.

The integration of Local Nutrition Action Plans (LNAPs) into the Local Development Plans and AIPs of LGUs ensued when Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Año, issued Memorandum Circular 2018-42 dated 26 March 2018 sustaining: the Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022, stipulating the guidelines on the roles and responsibilities of DILG field offices and LGUs in the implementation of the PPAN.

The memo-circular enjoins LGUs to formulate their local nutrition action plans (LNAPs) – based on PPAN 2017-2022 programs applicable to their respective localities, and to include them in their Local Development Plans and AIPs, to ensure adequate funding for nutritional impact.