Municipal Leaders in Basilan Enhance Nutrition Governance Through Zuellig Family Foundation Training

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) gathered mayors and municipal officers from five municipalities of Basilan—Al-Barka, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Hadji Muhtamad, Tabuan Lasa, and Ungkaya Pukan—for the Municipal Nutrition Governance Program-Nutrition and Health Leadership for Resilience (MNGP-NutriHeaL) learning track last June 6-8, 2024. The training, which is the first module of a two-part series, aimed to deepen ownership and accountability for nutrition among municipal leaders. 

The event saw the attendance of Basilan Governor Hadjiman “Jim” Hataman-Salliman together with provincial officers on health and nutrition. The governor has been proactive in engaging the municipalities in nutrition efforts for Basilan prior to the activity, spearheading the Leaders for Nutrition Forum in 2023. His presence reinforced his commitment to enhancing health and nutrition outcomes across Basilan.

Explaining the reason why nutrition is important to the overall development of the province, Governor Jim said, “Mas maraming healthy na bata, mas maraming possibilities na magiging leader. ‘Yung quality ng constituents na Basileño, ‘yung kanilang contribution sa community, sa probinsiya natin, mas magiging maganda.” (More healthy children mean more possibilities for future leaders. The quality of our Basileño constituents and their contributions to the community and our province will greatly improve.)

This initiative is under the Basilan Assistance Program (BAP), which seeks to tackle the remaining nutrition and health challenges in the province by building on lessons from previous projects. BAP, set to run until the end of 2025, aligns with ZFF’s broader strategy of using prototyping and scaling-up frameworks to ensure sustainable interventions. This includes transferring knowledge to local government units (LGUs) and academic institutions and partnering with local non-government organizations (NGOs) to address social determinants of health.

Over the three days, participants engaged in various activities aimed at improving the health, food, and nutrition systems in their municipalities. They explored a leadership and change framework designed to guide improvements in these areas. Through in-depth analysis, the attendees identified the factors contributing to their current municipal realities and expressed their commitment to their mayor’s call to action.

One of the highlights of the training was the formulation of a shared vision for nutrition in their municipalities. The participants worked on identifying integration points for nutrition across various sectors and levels of governance. By the end of the module, they had created joint practicum action plans outlining priority actions and strategies to enhance their municipal health, food, and nutrition systems.

Mayor Moner Manisan of Tabuan Lasa stressed the need for proactive leadership in addressing nutrition issues. He shareed, “Kailangan ‘yung presensya ko, kailangan ako ‘yung frontliner dito. Dapat ngayon pa lang, pag planuhan na: ano ang gagawin natin, ano yung intervention ng LGU, lalong lalo na kaming mayor.” (My presence is needed, I have to be the frontliner here. Starting now, we should plan: what will we do, what interventions will the LGU implement, especially us mayors.

ZFF hopes that the knowledge and skills gained from this training will empower local leaders to drive significant improvements in their communities’ nutrition outcomes. The second module of the MNGP-NutriHeaL is anticipated to continue building on these foundations, offering further training, coaching, mentoring, and monitoring and evaluation to ensure long-term success.