PALO, LEYTE – Seven more local government units (LGUs) in the Province of Southern Leyte completed the two-day Workshop on Integrating Nutrition Programs, Projects, and Activities (PPAs) in the 2021 Annual Investment Program (AIP) scheduled from Dec 1-4, 2020 in two different venues in Southern Leyte.

Municipal Planning Core Team and/or their representatives from the municipalities of Bontoc, Libagon, Macrohon, Malitbog, St. Bernard, Sogod, and Tomas Oppus enthusiastically joined the workshop.

On Day One of the Workshop, NNC8 facilitators headed by its Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, Dr. Catalino P. Dotollo, Jr. provided inputs on why invest on nutrition during pandemic, how to establish the first 1,000 days program, the background, and its legal basis of integrating nutrition and the ways to explore the AIP 2021 Workbook and Costing template.

Dr. Leticia O. Tan, the Development Management Officer of the M3BL Interlocal Health Zone expressed her appreciation to the NNC8 team for reaching out efforts of mobilizing LGUs through budget planning and multi-sectoral integration. In return, she assured that nutrition PPAs will surely put not only in paper but in action by the nutrition planning core team as one of the priorities for implementationin 2021.

In his message, Engr. Ceilito S. Bulagsac, the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC) of the Municipality of St. Bernard, conveyed the participants especially the MPDCs and budget officers to prioritize the first 1,000 days program in the AIP as from the pregnancy of a mother, up to 2 years old of the baby is the golden period of opportunity and investment on this period will help shape abetter community in the future.

The workshop on integrating nutrition PPAs in the 2021 AIP is part of the NNC local government mobilization of scaling up nutrition program implementation and the reduction of malnutrition in the country. Aside form the seven LGUs capacitated by NNC8, the municipalities of Hinundayan, Silago, Padre Burgos, the City of Maasin and the Provincial Nutrition Committee of Southern Leyte already finalized their 2021 AIP including the PPAs on nutrition. #NASLabordo