CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — The National Nutrition Council (NNC) in northern Mindanao conducted its 2025 round of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation Protocol (MELLPI Pro) from May 7 to 9 in Valencia City, Bukidnon.
NNC Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Reginaldo T. Guillen said MELLPI Pro aims to evaluate the performance of local government units (LGUs) for calendar year 2024 in managing nutrition programs and delivering frontline nutrition services through local nutrition focal points.
The evaluation is aligned with the NNC’s mandate and the ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ governance framework under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., which seeks to improve Filipino welfare through better nutrition.
The Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team (RNET) assessed the programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) implemented by the LGU under its Local Nutrition Action Plan (LNAP) to address nutrition issues such as underweight, stunting, wasting, overweight, and obesity.
It also evaluated the performance of LGU’s endorsed Nutrition Program Coordinator and the Barangay Nutrition Scholar of Barangay Lilingayon as part of its assessment of local nutrition focal points.
Nutrition Officer Sheena Marie T. Abellanosa, who led the RNET for Valencia City, said the NNC gives regional and national awards to outstanding focal points for their contributions to nutrition outcomes.
The agency also confers the Green Banner Seal of Compliance and the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) Award to LGUs that sustain nutrition PPAs and meet evaluation criteria. Valencia City received the Nutrition Honor Award (NHA) in 2016 for consistent performance over six or more years.
City Nutrition Action Officer Hazel P. Dondonayos said the annual MELLPI Pro helps the LGU improve its nutrition programs.
“Kung naa man gani challenges sa implementation, mao kini siya ang amoang giya aron matagaan pa og dugang improvements ang performance. Even if na-achieve na nato ang [NHA], still naa pa gihapon challenges along the way so we still [make] efforts to really improve our nutrition programs implementation, ilabina gayud kung makitaan kita o mahatagan kita og recommendations out of this regional evaluation,” Dondonayos said.
(If there are challenges in implementation, this serves as our guide to further improve our performance. Even though we have achieved the Nutrition Honor Award, challenges still exist, so we continue making efforts to improve how we implement our nutrition programs, especially when we receive findings or recommendations from this regional evaluation.)
Marven Selecios of the City Mayor’s Office, speaking for Mayor Azucena P. Huervas, acknowledged the work of the City Nutrition Committee and urged them to continue developing and sustaining effective strategies.
“Even if we are already multi-awarded when it comes to nutrition, we should not stop because the problem is still here. We should not rest on our laurels. We need to create programs that work, and those working programs must be continued. Let’s even do more, new ideas in targeting nutrition,” Selecios said.
MELLPI Pro assessments for the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, and Lanao del Norte are scheduled to continue through the second and third quarters of the year. RNET will deliberate the results, which will be forwarded to the NNC Central Office for further evaluation. (GDA/PIA-10)
