Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ixteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 8369

Introduced by: Hon. Angelina “Helen” D.L. Tan, M.D.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that under-nutrition in the
Philippines remains a serious problem. Accordingly, large numbers of Filipino children are
undernourished: 3.6 million of children months are underweight; and 4 million are stunted.

Although efforts to address this problem are slowly gaining ground, they are not fast
enough to meet the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing the number of
underweight children by half until 2015.

It is said that the damage to health, physical growth and brain development of children
affected by chronic under-nutrition—stunting in the first two years—is often irreversible,
impairing them for life and leaving them with lower chanees of finishing school and becoming

i s impact learning abilities and
shaw thal opallons athe by iodine deficiency have 10-15
han those not affected.

In view of the need to provide infant and young child feeding, micronutrient
supplementation and food fortification and integrated management of acute malnutrition, this bill
seeks the appointment of a nutrition officer which shall be mandatory in all provinces, cities and
municipalities of the country.

The Local Government Code of the Philippines provides the list of appointive local
officials common to all municipalities, cities and provinces. It includes the health officer who
shall, among others, take charge of the office on health services and formulate and implement
policies, plans, programs and projects to promote the health of the people in the local
government unit concerned. The list, however, does not include the appointment of the nutrition
officer to take charge of the office on nutrition services and formulate and implement policies,
plans, programs and projects to promote the nutrition of the people.

‘The mandatory appointment of the nutrition officer is of utmost importance in view of the
need to meet the fast changing needs of promoting the nutritional well-being of the general
public, especially of vulnerable individuals and groups within the framework of community life
and consistent with the Millennium Development Goal of reducing the number of underweight
children by half until 2015.

In view thereof, approval of this bill is eamestly sought.

| (i Yy
angmuman ane i. TAN, M.D.
4th District, Quezon


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

ixteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 8369

Introduced by: Hon. Angelina “Helen” D.L. Tan, M.D.

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE MANDATORY APPOINTMENT OF A NUTRITION OFFICER
IN ALL PROVIN CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES OF THE COUNTRY,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE ARTICLE XXI, SECTION 491 OF REPUBLIC ACT.
NUMBERED SEVEN THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED SIXTY, OTHERWI KNOWN AS.
THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1991

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Title V of Republic Act No. 7160 is hereby amended by adding a new article and
section at the end thereof to be denominated as Article XX1, Section 491, to read as follows:

‘The Nutrition Officer

“Se

tion 491. Qualifications, Powers and Duties

(a) No person shall be appointed nutrition officer unless he is a citizen of the Philippines.
resident of the local government unit concerned, of good moral
iti ietitian. He must have acquired experience in the practi

case of the municipal nutrition officer.

The appointment of a nutrition officer shall be mandatory for provincial, city and municipal
governments

(b) The nutrition officer shall take charge of the office on nutrition and shall

(1) Take charge of the office on nutrition services, supervise the personnel and staff of said
office, formulate program implementation guidelines and rules and regulations for the operation
of the said office for the approval of the governor or mayor, as the case may be, in order to assist
him in the efficient, effective and economical implementation of a nutrition services program
geared to implementation of nutrition-related projects and activities;

(2) Formulate measures for the consideration of the sanggunian and provide technical assi
and support to the governor or mayor, as the case may be, in carrying out nutrition activi

(3) Develop plans and strategies and upon approval thereof by the governor or mayor as the case
may be, implement the same. particularly those which have to do with nutrition programs and
projects which the governor or mayor, is empowered to implement and which the sanggunian is
empowered to provide for under this Code;

(4) In addition to the foregoing duties and functions, the nutrition officer shall:


(j) Formulate and implement policies, plans, programs and projects to promote the nutrition of
the people in the local government unit concerned:

(ii) Advise the governor or mayor, as the case may be, and the sanggunian on matters pertaining
to nutrition:

(iii) Execute and enforce laws, ordinances and regulations relating to nutrition:

(iv) Recommend to the sanggunian, through the local health board, the passage of such
ordinances as he may deem necessary for the delivery of services;

(v) Conduct nutrition information campaigns;

(vi) Coordinate with other government agencies and non-governmental organizations involved in
the promotion and delivery of nutrition services; and

(vii) In the case of the provincial nutrition officer, exercise general supervision over nutrition
officers of component cities and municipalities; and

(5) Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions as may be prescribed
by law or ordinane

SEC. 2. Section 491 of Republic Act No. 7160 is hereby renumbered as Section 492, all
succeeding sections of the same Act are hereby renumbered accordingly.

3. The Department of Interior and Local Government, in coordination with the Civil
Commission, shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement this Act within ninety
(90) days after its effectivity.

SEC. 4. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act
are hereby amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 5. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) d
newspapers of general circulation.

after its publication in at least two (2) national

Approved,