ILOILO City – Three local government units (LGUs) in Iloilo province are included in the five priority areas for the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) in Western Visayas.
These are Badiangan, Carles and Dueñas. Other LGUs covered by the program are the municipalities of Calatrava and Don Salvador in Negros Occidental.
National Nutrition Council 6 (NNC 6) Nutrition Officer III and PMNP focal Joy Daduya said covered LGUs were selected based on the following:
* with stunting rate higher than or equal to 17.5%
* with high incidence of poverty
* with KALAHI-CIDSS implementation experience
* covered by Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster/Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition priority areas during the recent meeting of the Regional Nutrition Committee.
Daduya added that the municipal nutrition councils of Carles and Dueñas convened on April 28 and June 21 respectively, and were briefed on the program’s implementing guidelines.
PMNP supports the Philippine government to adopt a bold, multisectoral nutrition approach to deliver a coordinated package of nutrition-specific and nutrition sensitive interventions across the various LGU platforms together with a harmonized social behavior change and communication strategy.
Specifically, it intends to increase the simultaneous utilization of these packages of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions and improve key behaviors and practices known to reduce stunting in the covered LGUs.
The Department of Health and Department of Social Welfare and Development are tasked to co-lead in the implementation of the program with support from the World Bank. (PIA6 Iloilo)/PN
