REPRESENTATIVES from the National Nutrition Council (NNC), Department of Health (DOH), National Youth Commission (NYC), and several others made a pledge of commitment during the Regional PPAN/RPAN 2023-2028 Dissemination Forum on Friday, August 22, 2025, at the Ritz Hotel, Davao City.
The commitment underscores efforts to combat malnutrition in all its forms by synchronizing programs and interventions with the Regional Plan of Action for Nutrition’s (RPAN) goals. Stakeholders vowed to integrate nutrition and food security into the region’s development agenda, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and enhance accountability in implementing nutrition services.
Retsebeth Laquihon, regional nutrition program coordinator and officer-in-charge of NNC-Davao Region, said that the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) and the RPAN have already been implemented; however, they would not stop disseminating the program to reduce, if not eradicate, malnutrition in the region.
“We are almost there pero marami pa kailangan dapat gawin kasi hindi pa rin natin na-achieve yung overall nutritional outcome (We are almost there, but there’s still a lot that needs to be done because we still haven’t achieved the overall nutritional outcome),” she said on Friday, August 22, 2025, at Ritz Hotel Davao.
Laquihon added that their office is strongly collaborating with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to further boost the effectiveness of local government units (LGUs) in addressing malnutrition in their areas.
Meanwhile, Vice Chairperson Dr. Abdullah V. Matallam, regional director of DILG, said that their coordination with NNC is a way to fight malnutrition and promote the health and well-being of every Filipino, especially in the Davao Region. He said that combating malnutrition cannot be addressed by one sector alone, hence the need to coordinate with other concerned government and non-government agencies.
“I affirm and reaffirm our full support in this endeavor. We will continue to work with NNC and our LGUs,” he said.
Matallam stressed that children deserve to grow up strong and healthy, and that the community deserves better choices for them to lead better lives.
Dr. Grace D. Amistoso, officer-in-charge and assistant regional director of DOH, said that good nutrition is not only about health. It is the cornerstone of human development, and this is a duty that government agencies must uphold.
“Multi-sectoral collaboration remains non-negotiable; no single sector can address malnutrition alone. We synergy across health, education, agriculture, social protection, finance, and local governance to ensure that services are holistic and equitable,” she said.
Amistoso emphasized that policies and programs would be effective if the public understood why nutrition is important and why they need to make healthy choices. She said that this is the reason why continued focus on social and behavioral change in the community is strategic and timely.
Amistoso said that information must lead to action, and awareness must translate to healthy practices at the household level.RGP