Local chief execs asked to support nutrition plan
Provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, including barangay captains nationwide were asked to support the implementation of the Medium Term Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (MTPPAN).
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno also asked the local executives to submit actual budgetary estimates of their related programs covering the period 2006-2010.
Secretary Puno said the budget estimates should be submitted to the National Nutrition Council (NNC) through the DILG, indicating also the LGU's contribution to attaining the goals of MTPPAN.
In a memorandum he issued, Puno said that the MTPPAN, formulated by the NNC, with its governing board composed of the Department of Health, DILG and the Department of Agriculture, provides the road map to achieve nutritional adequacy for all Filipinos.
The MTPPAN, with its financial requirements amounting to 80 billion pesos for the five-year period was approved by President Gloria Arroyo last year.
Puno, however, said that the amount does not reflect the investments of the local government units, which under the Local Government Code of 1991, are empowered to provide basic social services including health and nutrition.
He reminded the chief executives that the LGUs have a critical role in the successful implementation of the MTPPAN, and an indication of this is the extent of resources allotted for the implementation of the plan at the local levels.
(PIA 6)