WHEREAS,
malnutrition is seriously affecting millions of our people;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, malnutrition retards mental and physical development of our
children, weakens their resistance to infections resulting in
unnecessary loss of human lives through high infant and child mortality
rates; chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, studies indicate that infants and young children, pregnant
women and nursing mothers are most vulnerable to malnutrition;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, there is a multiplicity of government agencies engaged in
various aspects of nutrition activities;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, there are various food programs in the country such as the
Green Revolution, Masagana 99, Palayan ng Bayan, Masaganang Maisan and
others which aremed at providing for food sufficiency; chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, there is a close interlinking relationship between food,
education and nutrition;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, Executive Order 285, series of 1971, vested in the National
Food and Agriculture Council the responsibility to coordinate all
nutrition programs in the country;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, coordination has proven to be of great value in integrating
the food and nutrition efforts of the various agencies;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, one of the objectives of the New Society is to bring about
social, economic, and political reforms to eventually improve the
quality of life of every Filipino; chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
WHEREAS, the nutrition program, being concerned with human resource
development, is a vital and integral part of social reform and economic
development;chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines,
by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution do hereby
adopt, approve and make as part of the law of the land, the following:cralaw:red
Section 1. Title. — This decree shall be known as the
Nutrition Act of the Philippines.
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. — The Government of
the Philippines hereby declares that nutrition is now a priority of the
government to be implemented by all branches of the government in an
integrated fashion.
Section 3. Philippine Food and Nutrition Program. —
An Integrated Four-Year Program involving the government and private
sector shall be drafted by the National Council is hereby created. The
program shall be approved by the President to be implemented by all
concerned. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
Section 4. Creation of a National Nutrition Council.
— There is hereby created an agency under the Office of the President,
the National Nutrition Council, hereinafter referred to as the council,
to be composed of the following officials:cralaw:red
The Secretary, Department of Education and Culture
The Chairman-Coordinator, National Food and Agriculture Council
The Secretary, Department of Health
The Chairman, National Science Development Board
The Secretary, Department of Social Welfare
The Secretary, Department of Local Government and
Community Development
The Chairman of the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines
President, Philippine Medical Association
One other representative of the private sector to be appointed
by the President of the Philippines.
In the event that any cabinet member cannot attend Council meetings, he
shall be represented by an Undersecretary or Assistant Secretary.
Section 5. Functions and Powers. — The Council shall
have the following functions and powers:cralaw:red
(a) To formulate an integrated national program on
nutrition.
(b) To supervise, coordinate and evaluate the
implementation of the integrated Philippine Food and Nutrition Program
to be implemented by all agencies and instrumentalities of both the
government and the private sector concerned with improving the
nutrition of our people.
(c) To coordinate and integrate policies and programs
of all agencies and instrumentalities of the government charged with
the prosecution of existing law, policies, rules and regulations
concerning nutrition.
(d) To coordinate the release of public funds for
nutrition purposes in accordance with the approved projects and
programs.
(e) To coordinate all requests for loans and grants
by the government agencies involved in the nutrition
program. chanroblesvirtualawlibrary
(f) To call on any department, bureau, office, agency
and other instrumentalities of the government for assistance in the
form of personnel, facilities and resources as the need arises.
Section 6. Officers of the Council. — The
Chairman-Coordinator of the National Food and Agriculture Council shall
be the Chairman of the Council. He shall maintain a close link of the
nutrition program with the food programs of the government. In his
absence, the Secretary of Health shall be the Acting Chairman.
An Executive Director shall be appointed by the Council. He shall
implement the policies, programs, projects and decisions of the Council.
One or more Deputy Executive Directors may be appointed by the Council
and shall assist the Executive Director in the performance of his
duties or take charge of special project assigned by the Executive
Director.
A Management Committee shall be formed, the members of which shall be a
representative appointed by each of the members of the Council, which
representatives should be the head of the nutrition unit or project of
his office. The Executive Director, or in his absence, a Deputy
Executive Directors, shall be Chairman of the Management Committee.
This Committee shall perform such functions as may be assigned to it by
this Council.
The Council shall hire such other personnel as may be necessary for the
performance of its basic functions. All positions, except the technical
and professional staff and such other positions as the Council may
declare to be highly technical, policy determining, or primarily
confidential, shall be subject to Civil Service rules and regulations
and the Wages and Position Classification Office:cralaw:red
Provided that, all personnel shall be entitled to the benefits and
privileges normally accorded to government employees, such as
retirement, GSIS Insurance, leave and similar matters:cralaw:red
Provided further, that in the appointment and promotion or employees,
merit and efficiency shall serve as basis, and no political test or
qualification shall be prescribed and considered for such appointments
and promotions.
Section 7. Nutrition Month. — The month of July shall
be designated as NUTRITION MONTH, for the purpose of creating greater
awareness among our people on the importance of nutrition. Activities
thereto shall be approved and coordinated by the Council. This
Nutrition Month of July shall be in lieu of the previously declared
Nutrition Week in March.
Section 8. Donations. — The Council shall be
authorized to received donations, grants, or gifts in whatever form and
from whatever sources: Provided that, said grants, gifts or donations
shall be terms of the grant or donations and in such manner as a
majority of the council may in its discretion determine.
Section 9. Appropriations. — For the first fiscal
year, 1974-1975, P3.4 million pesos shall be appropriated from NFAC
funds already stipulated for nutrition programs. Provided that, the sum
of ten million pesos is hereby appropriated as operating funds of the
National Nutrition Council starting fiscal year 1975-1976. Provided
further, that said amount may be increased or deceased in the
succeeding years by the Council in accordance with its financial
position. This appropriation shall be included in the Annual General
Appropriation Act beginning in Fiscal Year 1975-1976.
Section 10. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and
regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed and/or modified
accordingly.
Section 11. This Decree shall take effect immediately.
Done in the City of Manila,
this 25th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and
seventy-four.
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