South Cotabato, Philippines, August 29, 2025, | Achieving proper results in the fight against malnutrition took center stage as the South Cotabato Nutrition Section of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, spearheaded a capacity-building activity on the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (PIMAM) at Balai Resto, Lake Sebu.
Liza Enamno, Nutrition Officer 1, underscored that the program’s central goal is to ensure effective and standardized management of malnutrition cases.
“By equipping our frontliners with the right tools and knowledge, we can guarantee proper implementation of protocols, which leads to more accurate case management and better results in addressing malnutrition,” she emphasized.
A key component of the training is preparing health facilities for PhilHealth accreditation, which requires trained and certified PIMAM health workers.
“These individuals are our first line of defense in detecting SAM cases. Once certified, their work will not only improve child nutrition outcomes but will also be recognized under PhilHealth,” Enamno added.
Participants, especially those new to the program, reported gaining practical skills and confidence in handling SAM and MAM cases, noting that the strategies shared during the sessions will greatly improve their community-level interventions.
The training placed strong emphasis on early detection, proper referral, rights-based care, counseling, and continuous monitoring of children under five and their families. These steps, officials stressed, are crucial to achieving South Cotabato’s long-term goal of zero severe acute
The training gathered 32 participants from 10 municipalities and 1 city, including Registered Nutrition Dietitians, Municipal Nutrition Officers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars, and LGU health staff—frontliners who play critical roles in identifying and managing Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) cases.
