TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) - - The National Nutrition Council (NNC) region 2 has appealed to the newly elected officials to retain their nutrition workers, especially their respective Nutrition Action Officers and Barangay Nutrition Scholars. 

Ma. Gisela M. Lonzaga, nutrition program coordinator, said it has been observed in the previous elections that elected officials replaced their nutrition workers with new and untrained ones which greatly affects the implementation and monitoring of their nutrition-related programs on the ground. 

She said that with the retainment of the current nutrition workers in their municipalities and provinces, there will be continuity of the monitoring of the programs for nutritionally at-risk individuals in their communities since there is no need for local government units to train new ones.

Instead of replacing, Lonzaga appealed to the local officials to capacitate further their current nutrition workers and invest more in their nutrition programs. 

"We are hopeful that there will be no one among our nutrition workers and barangay nutrition scholars to be replaced. There have been so many investments in them already. They were trained many times for them to improve the nutritional status of the people in the communities," Lonzaga said. 

She also encouraged the local chief executives to establish their respective nutrition office, division, or section as well as to create nutrition officer positions. 

"We also call on local government units to prepare their Local Nutrition Action Plans for 2023 to 2025 and issue ordinances relative to nutrition," Lonzaga said. 

Lonzaga also urged local officials to ensure the prioritization of nutrition in their key development agenda and, if possible, increase the stipend of the barangay nutrition scholars. (MDCT/OTB/PIA Cagayan)