QUEZON CITY -- Recognizing the crucial role of local government units (LGUs) in attaining the overall goal to end malnutrition, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in partnership with the National Nutrition Council (NNC) conducted a dialogue with local chief executives (LCEs) to tackle the implications on nutrition of Executive Order (EO) No. 138 on full devolution starting next year.

EO 138, issued by President Rodrigo Duterte on June 1, 2021, encourages LGUs to primarily and ultimately be responsible in the implementation and delivery of devolved functions as mandated by the Mandanas-Garcia Ruling pursuant to Section 17 of the Local Government Code (LGC) and other laws which subsequently assigned new functions to LGUs.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said that with the increase of shares LGUs will receive from national taxes starting fiscal year 2022, LGUs will have more access to funding basic services, including programs for health and nutrition.

“With the onset of full devolution, pursuant to EO 138 and the Mandanas-Garcia ruling of the Supreme Court, LGUs can go beyond service delivery and assume the great responsibility of securing the nutrition of the people,” he said.

He said that the dialogue enables the national government and LGUs to strengthen their collaboration for the sustainability of nutrition initiatives as the country transitions to full devolution and the new normal.

“The nutritional welfare of our people, whether infants, children, adolescents, or adults will only be improved once our LGUs develop their capacity to bring together various stakeholders and come up with collectively agreeable solutions,” he said.

In line with this, the DILG Chief encouraged LGUs to update their respective nutrition action plans, and integrate these plans into their Local Development Plans and Annual Investment Programs to secure adequate funding.

He also urged LGUs to implement their respective Local Nutrition Action programs and packages and to organize or strengthen their respective Local Nutrition Action Offices.

During the webinar’s panel discussion, selected LGU representatives from the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) also shared their best practices on nutrition among their fellow governors and mayors.

Año hoped that the LCEs and local functionaries were able to increase their awareness of the current state of malnutrition and learned how it can be addressed in their respective areas of responsibility through the sharing of the best practices of LCEs from Quirino, Tagaytay City, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Limasawa.

For her part, NNC Assistant Secretary and Executive Director Azucena M. Dayanghirang stressed that the cost of malnutrition is very high.

“If we continue to implement the same programs and at the same level of investments for malnutrition, we will lose this battle,” she said.

“But we are hopeful that the commitments made by the Leagues in this event will create more #NutritionChampions that will implement and sustain our advocacy which will eventually translate into increased investments and resources, and scaled up nutrition services,” she added.

The webinar entitled “Dialogue with Local Chief Executives: Enabling Nutrition Devolution” on Friday, 30 July, was a sequel to the previously held Roundtable Experience on Nutrition: Ending the Malnutrition War last May 2018 in Manila Hotel. (DILG)