Department of the Interior and Local Government Regional Director and Regional Nutrition Committee Vice Chair Karl Caesar Rimando called on barangay officials in Central Luzon to invest in nutrition to build a healthy and resilient community. (Paul John Lopez/PIA 3)
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) called on barangay officials in Central Luzon to invest in nutrition, citing that a healthy barangay is needed to build a resilient community.
DILG Regional Director and Regional Nutrition Committee Vice Chair Karl Caesar Rimando said nutrition is one of the very important sectors that local governments should pay attention to, therefore it is important to include nutrition programs, projects, and activities in the development plans of local governments.
“We know that as barangay leaders, you know the basic needs of your community better. You fully understand the situation of your barangay. Hence, you are the ones who know very well what are the programs, projects, activities that the barangay should pay attention to. Hopefully we do not forget the programs for the nutrition of our youth,” he said.
The director hoped that as the barangays prepared their devolution transition plan for the implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling, they considered the nutritional needs of their constituents and prepared their barangay nutrition programs in line with their barangay nutrition action plan and the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition.
Among the programs that local governments should prioritize, Rimando said, is the First 1,000 Days program as this plays an important role throughout the development of a child.
“It is very important that our youth get the necessary nutrition interventions so that they can grow to be productive members in the society. By investing and paying attention during this time, it will bring healthy youth and enthusiastic leaders of the country in the future,” the DILG official noted.
Other programs that he mentioned are supplementary feeding program for underweight children, diet program for overweight, Operation Timbang Plus, and nutrition month celebration, among others.
In terms of funding, he said that barangays can ask the support of city, municipal, or provincial nutrition committees for nutrition programs that need to be addressed but cannot be funded by the barangay. (CLJD/MJSC-PIA 3)
