Panel Discussion

“The Philippine Nutrition Situation”

Discussant:  Reginaldo Guillen, National Nutrition Counci

R. Guillen’s presentation in 3 parts

• About NNC

• Nutrition Situation

• The Philippine Plan of Action on Nutrition

About NNC

• Policy-making body.

• Governing Board Chaired by the DOH.

• 42-year old agency created through PD 491 in 1974, under the office of the president, now under DOH.

• NNC Secretariat, 115 staff across the 17 regions.

• Structure for Nutrition Policy Formulation and Coordination

• Core Functions – policy formulation; program planning, monitoring and evaluation; funding release

• NNC Assignments – As focal point for SUN Movement, RA 8172, RA 8976; Oversight functions for the Accelerated Hunger-Mitigation Program

• Nutrition Situation

  • Undernutrition has been the issue but recent findings include a steady increase since 1990 in overnutrition or obesity.

  • These problems contribute to the overall mortality rate.

  • Recent findings also link infant malnutrition to obesity in later life.

  • Presented data on:

    • rate of underweight, wasting, stunting, overweight from 1989 to 2014

    • comparison of 2013 and 2015 figures on stunting per age group 0 to 59 months showed increase in prevalence

    • Alarming increase in overweight among adults

  • High incidence of anemia, deficiency in Vit A, folic acid, and iodine; hunger among vulnerable sectors in the country

  • Nutrition impact on humans in short term and long term

  • Causality of maternal and child undernutrition

• PPAN 2017-2022

  • Programming based on First 1000 days

  • Reduce maternal and child malnutrition

 

“Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement”

Discussant:  Kathrine Rose Yee, World Vision/PhilCAN

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• Noted that there were more participants who are familiar with the SUN Movement

• SUN Vision:World without hunger and malnutrition; to be achieved with the involvement of multi-stakeholders and multi-sectors at multi-levels.

• Everyone has the right to food.

• Noted that some wanted to be clarified why other organizations were invited as not all provide nutrition-specific interventions.

• Most of the organizations with the advocacy of malnutrition are child-focused; but nutrition should not stop in the children’s sector

• Advocacy should be multi-level.

• Philippines is the 51st country to sign the SUN Movement in 2014

  • Sun Network (Stakeholders)

    • Civil Society (led by PhilCAN)

    • Donor -

    • Business

    • Government (led by NNC)

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Unicef lead for the PH

Purpose

• • Increase coordination to address prevailing issues

  • Greater collaboration with different stakeholders, sectors at different levels

  • Alignment of resources

  • Alignment of activities

• • Build the network and support the formation and sustainable running of strong, credible and influential national CSAs.

  • Harmonise advocacy and messages for nutrition to remain a priority on national and global agendas

  • Facilitate Capacity Building of national Civil Society Alliances to contribute to effective multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral, multi-level efforts towards scaling up nutrition

Possible undertakings:

• One dbase for national and international CSOs in the country.

• Capacity building – which services are effective?

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