The project’s objective was to effectively and efficiently support the agency’s communication plan in its advocacy to inform about the role and functions of NMIS. It covered the agency’s thrusts on strengthening the country’s meat inspection system, sustaining partnership with all stakeholders in implementing the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines, and protecting the meat consuming public. It also aimed to effectively drive for inclusive growth of the livestock and meat industry through collaborative and participative information advocacy and market surveillance activities of the stakeholders.
Background and Problem
The NMIS is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture mandated to safeguard the general welfare, interest, and health of the meat consuming public. It is also responsible for the development of the livestock and meat industry in the country. After conducting a problem tree analysis, the agency identified the core problem as the low awareness and adoption of Meat Safety and Meat Inspection Regulation by the Local Government Units (LGUs) and the public due to low prioritization by LGUs to enact national meat inspection laws into local resolutions, thus undermining the implementation of these regulations. Likewise, the lack of manpower capability to conduct information campaign retains the consumer’s scarce knowledge of meat safety and standards and holds little to prevent the proliferation of illegally slaughtered meat in the local market. This results in the inability of the consumers to distinguish wholesome meat from unsafe meat which may cause adverse effects to health.
Solution and Impact
The project implemented an intervention designed to assist in disseminating the agency’s role in protecting the meat consuming public through a collaborative partnership with a civil society organization (CSO) accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in a selected LGU. Through the project, the reach of the agency in serving the Filipino people as mandated by the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines will expand. The initial orientation of the identified DSWD-accredited CSO regarding the NMIS and its mandate, the Philippine Meat Inspection System, meat safety regulations, and the Good Handling Practices in the Home and Market was also included in the intervention during the project implementation period as well as the CSO’s initial information advocacy activities.
Milestones
The project implementation period covers the preparation phase, developmental phase, and the initial implementation of the project plan. This period was also used to establish partnership with Social Action Center of Pampanga (SACOP), the chosen CSO, in implementing its functions and responsibilities in the City of San Fernando and Porac, Pampanga through information advocacy campaign on meat safety.
One of the outputs of the project is the conduct of initial consultations and the drafting of the Memorandum of Agreement and Terms of Reference on the creation of collaborative partnership of the agency and the identified DSWD-accredited CSO. The final draft was submitted to the agency executive director for approval and eventually signed by the parties. Another output was the creation of modules for information advocacy for the CSOs. The project was sustained to assess its merits for the inclusion of the collaboration partnership with the CSO in the regular program of the Meat Standards Development and Consumer Protection Division of the NMIS. The project will be adopted as a regular activity of the NMIS. This will augment the current awareness campaign on meat safety and promote strengthening of the Local Meat Inspection System.
Note: This initiative is based on the Public Management Development Program (PMDP) Re-Entry Plan of Dr. Rona Regina I. Reyes of the PMDP Middle Manager Class Batch 10 (Binhi).