Scope and Objectives of the Nutrition Program
- The program aims to eradicate malnutrition nationwide, focusing initially on pre-school children as identified by Operation Timbang.
- Activities include food assistance, nutritional education, agricultural production, treatment and rehabilitation of malnourished children, and community-based nutritional planning.
Roles and Responsibilities of Agencies
- Department of Social Welfare: Obtain local food commodities, establish nutrition units with field forces, coordinate food distribution, conduct nutrition education among mothers, and utilize the barangay network. Authorized additional budget allocations.
- Department of Agriculture: Collaborate with national councils and movements to increase production of legumes, vegetables, livestock, poultry, and fishery products; provide extension services through Agricultural Extension with additional Home Management Technicians; fund allocation directed by the Budget Commission.
- Department of Education and Culture: Integrate nutrition education into curricula of both public and private schools and allied professional courses.
- Department of Health: Manage treatment and rehabilitation facilities for severely malnourished children and secure food support from Nutrition Center of the Philippines.
- Department of Local Governments and Community Development: Form nutrition committees at multiple administrative levels and support sub-barangay nutrition units for effective local implementation.
- National Science Development Board: Fund priority research projects in food and nutrition endorsed by the National Nutrition Council.
- Budget Commission: Place nutrition programs among New Society priority programs and approve necessary budgets for implementation.
- National Nutrition Council: Coordinate efforts, provide allowances for field workers, establish a national nutrition surveillance system, and engage in regional cooperation with ASEAN countries.
Implementation and Coordination Mechanisms
- The program is coordinated by the National Nutrition Council which ensures inter-agency cooperation, oversees budget endorsements, and supervises equipment procurement exemptions.
- Nutrition activities are to be integrated into local governance structures through functioning nutrition committees and barangay networks.
- Funding streams include domestic budgets authorized by the Budget Commission and allowances from international agencies.
Budgetary Provisions and Exceptions
- Additional budgetary allocations to involved agencies are authorized as reasonably required.
- Purchases of equipment and capital outlays for nutrition initiatives are exempted from Memorandum Circular No. 593, Series of 1972, subject to National Nutrition Council endorsement.
Surveillance, Research, and Regional Cooperation
- Establishment of a national nutrition surveillance scheme to monitor nutritional status and program effectiveness.
- Collaboration with ASEAN countries for possible joint nutrition programs and regional surveillance measures.
Overall Legal and Policy Framework
- Establishes a multi-sectoral, coordinated approach to address malnutrition involving social welfare, agriculture, education, health, local government, science, and budget authorities.
- Prioritizes nutrition as a key social and public health issue under the New Society government directive.
- Emphasizes the role of community-based interventions through barangay and sub-barangay units to ensure grassroots reach and impact.
This directive took immediate effect upon issuance on July 31, 1976, mandating compliance by the designated agencies and officials to advance the national nutrition program.