NNC7: Only Mandaue City Implements ‘Nutrition Cluster’

The National Nutrition Council (NNC) 7 on Monday admitted that only Mandaue City among all cities and municipalities of Cebu province has fully implemented a “nutrition cluster,” a strategy being adopted by the NNC nationwide.

NNC 7 Officer I Norre Jean V. Delos Santos define nutrition cluster as a group government officials headed by a local chief executive, with members, to include the nutrition committee chairman of a local government unit, and all heads of government agencies available in every province, city, municipality and barangay.

Delos Santos said that the nutrition cluster was created in preparation of any disaster that may happen in a locality whether it is man-made or natural kind. She said that the nutrition cluster members are the ones who immediately discuss all preparations that they may implement during emergencies.

They will share this with the people in the community before any calamities strike in their respective areas of responsibility, she added.

During the interview in ‘Government on Line’ program of DYMR, a government radio station in Cebu, Delos Santos also said they are implementing various activities within this month of July in relation to the NNC’s 40th year celebration.

The implementation of “nutrition in emergencies” was already adopted in the 15 municipalities and a city in the northern part of the province before super typhoon Yolanda hit the areas last November 2013.

Nutrition in emergencies was supposedly the job to be done by the nutrition cluster in the northern part of the province hit by Yolanda but due to the absence of such group, all municipal officials headed by their respective mayors were the ones who immediately reacted by giving relief assistance to all affected families in their respective areas.

The number one assistance made by the LGU officials were the distribution of food packs to every family especially to those whose houses were partially or totally destroyed by the typhoon.

However, Delos Santos explained that during this time, everything is almost fully recovered, but the NNC is still on the process of monitoring the proper nutrition adopted by every family in the typhoon-stricken areas in the northern part of the province.