The goal of improving the nutrition situation in Northern Mindanao remains to be the top priority of the Regional Nutrition Committee X for 2016. Led by its Chairperson DOH X Regional Director Nimfa B. Torrizo, the Committee will continue to unify all relevant stakeholders and advance efforts in addressing all forms of malnutrition in the region.

To drumbeat RNC X efforts for 2016, three priority resolutions were approved during the Committee’s March 8 2016 First Quarter Meeting at the N Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City. These are: RNC Resolution No 1 , S. 2016: Approving and Adopting the Nutrition in Emergencies (NiEm) Plan of the Regional Nutrition Cluster X; RNC Resolution No 2, S. 2016: Streamlining the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force (RBATF) Making the Task Force a Sub-Structure of the Regional Nutrition Committee Amending RNC Resolution No. 6 s. of 2014 and RNC Resolution No 3, S. 2016: Reiterating the Use of the Prescribed Weight & Height Measuring Tools among LGUs.

The Committee underscored the need to mainstream the Regional NiEm Plan Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (RDRRM) Plan and directed NNC X to coordinate with the Office of Civil Defense on the matter. Similarly, NNC X was tasked to ensure that Resolution No. 3 is elevated to the Regional Development Council X through the Social Development Committee X for advocacy and support. The Committee envisions that support from RDC X will help address OPT Plus data reliability issues in some LGUs.

During the same meeting, the RBATF X Work Plan for CY 2016 was approved where the RBATF members pledged support in implementing the critical activities for the “Saktong Iodine sa Asin” campaign. A workshop on defining the RBATF X operational procedure is being proposed. srdc/pcgd