The Province of Sarangani in partnership with the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) conducted the first batch of workshop on formulating the Municipal Nutrition Action Plans, held on July 19-21 at the East Asia Royale Hotel, General Santos City. Participating municipalities for this batch were composed of Malapatan, Maasim, and Maitum.

The resource speakers from the National Nutrition Council XII were Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Retsebeth Laquihon and NO III Annalita Mae Flores, who also served as facilitators for the 3-day workshop alongside other NNC XII and ZFF staff.

The participants, which included municipal nutrition action officers, planning officers, budget officers, social welfare development officers, local nutrition program coordinators, health and DepEd representatives from the aforementioned municipalities, were able to draft nutrition action plans and budget proposals for the implementation of their nutrition programs in 2023–2025.

The activity covered the following topics through a combination of lecture-discussion, plenary session, and workshops: (1) Why Invest in Nutrition; (2) Review of existing documents on city plans and budgets; (3) Formulating the nutrition situation analysis; (4) Inclusion of nutrition in the priority development challenges; (5) Setting outcome targets; (6) Crafting the PPAN-based program; (7) Defining programs and projects to achieve outcome targets; ( Developing project briefs for integration in the NGA-mandated and other sectoral/thematic plans; (9) Estimating budgets for nutrition programs, projects and activities through Costing Workbook template.

Sarangani’s Provincial Nutrition Action Officer, Dr. Arvin Alejandro, conveyed that the planning workshop will hopefully enable local nutrition committees to formulate a nutrition action plan that is truly responsive to their community’s nutrition situation.

The following batch will be conducted in August, scoping the municipalities of Glan, Malungon, Alabel, and Kiamba. (DMO II Aurel/NO III Flores/RNPC)