QUEZON CITY (PIA) – The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) MIMAROPA Regional Director Mario S. Baquilod together with Assistant Regional Director for Administration Benchie Gonzales, National Nutrition Counicil (NNC) MIMAROPA OIC-Regional Director Ma. Eileen Blanco and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) MIMAROPA KALAHI-CIDSS Regional Program Coordinator Jacqueline C. Duma graced the ceremonial signing of Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) Work Plan on September 6 at the Sequoia Hotel, Quezon City.

DOH-CHD Mimaropa Medical Officer III Dr. Mathew Medrano presented the orientation on the PMNP which includes the specification of the institutional arrangements among agencies and offices involved in its implementation from the national to the community level.

Medrano also described the project’s management support structure at all levels and identified the different platforms available which the project can tap and mobilize to ensure inter and intra multisectoral collaboration.

According to Medrano, the PMNP is expected to fast-track implementation because project funding will be transferred directly to Local Government Units (LGUs)—rather than passing them through line departments’ budget program which slows budget execution.

Overall, the project’s development objective is to increase the simultaneous utilization of a package of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions and improve key health behaviors and practices known to reduce stunting in target LGUs.

Hence, the DOH-CHD Mimaropa and DSWD-Mimaropa are responsible to implement the PMNP’s three components, each of which has interventions designed to complement and contribute outputs and provide services to the target beneficiaries.

The project will cover 151 barangays in 14 municipalities of the provinces of Occidental Mindoro (7 municipalities) and Romblon (7 municipalities) as target beneficiaries. (GATS/PIA MIMAROPA)