CEBU, Philippines — The National Nutrition Council-7 will be implementing the third and fourth phases of Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program (TKSP) in 45 local government units in Central Visayas starting this month until November.
Kristal Katrina Bacay, NNC-7 provincial focal person in Negros Oriental, said 22 of the 45 LGUs are located in Cebu. It has a total of 4,000 beneficiaries.
The TKSP was implemented in Barangays Sapangdaku and Sambag in Cebu City last March for the first phase of the program after its official launching.
The program aims to contribute to the prevention of stunting among children (0-23 months old) by improving the quality and quantity of food and nutrient intakes and utilization of related Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) for the First 1000 Days (F1KD) services among nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and children 6-23 months old in the target program areas.
Bacay said that among the objectives of the program is to provide supplemental food to pregnant women for 90 calendar days and complementary food for children 6-23 months for 180 calendar days with priority to those who are nutritionally at-risk or undernourished.
In line with this, Senator Cynthia Villar suggested during the online budget hearing of the Department of Health to devolve the feeding program under NNC to local government units.
Villar said the feeding program is an activity that could be better coordinated by the LGUs under the guidance of NNC.
“This is a function that we can devolve to the LGUs. They said that they asked the help of the LGUs, I want to know how do they pick the LGUs and what is the LGU’s counterpart because we will be giving a lot to the local governments,” Villar said.
At present, LGUs get around 40 percent of the national taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) through their internal revenue allotment (IRA).
NNC-7 regional program coordinator Dr. Parolita Mission said that the TKSP for pregnant women and 6-23 months old children will be devolved to the LGUs.
She said that NNC-7 is hopeful that LGUs will include this TKSP and the other five critical interventions in the First 1000 Days. Mission also hopes for the establishment of nutrition office and hiring of full time nutrition action officers and other technical staff to manage the LGU nutrition program and include these in the LGU Devolution Transition Plan. — FPL (FREEMAN)