The officers and members of the Regional D/CNPC Association of the Cordillera region visited the recent Nutrition Honor Awardee (NHA) from Region II- Quirino Province on March 9, 2016. Purposely, the activity was funded by the D/CNPC-CAR to have an opportunity for the D/CNPCs to learn exemplary practices and strategies of other areas in managing nutrition program.

The Provincial Nutrition Committee (PNC) of Quirino province warmly welcomed the group and arranged various activities for the group such as radio guesting of the D/CNPCs over Radyo ng Bayan during the PIA hour radio program; sharing of the success story of the province in achieving the NHA including its locally initiated projects by Ms. Luningning P. Rhodes (Provincial Nutrition Officer); visit to the province’s outstanding implementers on nutrition specifically the Municipality of Diffun and the Barangay of San Antonio of the same municipality; visit to a successful beneficiary of Q – Life (Quirino Livelihood for Everyone) Program, and glimpse at the school garden of Diffun Central School (entry at the national Search for the Best School Garden).

In a meeting with Governor Cua, the group learned the significant factors that contributed to the successful implementation of their provincial projects on nutrition. He shared that political stability, strong public-private partnership, presence of MLGU counterparts to the provincial projects being downloaded at the lower level, conduct of social preparations to the target beneficiaries before the implementation of projects, regular conduct of monitoring activities and having adequate staff for nutrition are the elements that propelled the province to its honored status on nutrition program management.

The group was amazed with the observed strong support of the Local Chief Executives (LCEs) on the nutrition program with every municipality having a separate nutrition division under the LCEs’ office and having two (2) Municipal Nutrition Action Officers (MNAOs). All the vice mayors are designated as the MNAO on budget and legislative and every head of office in the municipality is designated as MNAO on program operation.

The Benchmarking activity was a joint undertaking of the National Nutrition Council- CAR and the officers of the District/City Nutrition Program Coordinators-CAR Association.