Govt steps up drive to fight malnutrition

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday assured the public the government was taking "urgent, decisive and multi-sectoral" actions to address child malnutrition and stunting among Filipino children. Addressing the 2024 National Nutrition Awarding Ceremony in Quezon City, Marcos said malnutrition "exists at alarming levels" across different stages of life throughout the country. He cited a recent study by the Second Congressional Commission on Education, which found that most students were already two to three years behind curriculum expectations by Grade 3. "While we have made significant progress, it cannot be denied [that] the Philippines continues to face complex nutritional challenges," Marcos said. "It has wrought deleterious effects on the cognitive development and the future of our children. It has contributed to our children falling behind in their education," he said. The President said his administration was implementing several programs to make sure that children were receiving the proper nutrition. "We are taking urgent, decisive and multi-sectoral action to address the problem," he said. Marcos said the Department of Health has shifted its policy to improve its services in terms of the preventive and curative phases of health care. The Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, was making sure that the people were not just getting enough food but were also receiving the right nutrition. "It is not sufficient that we have everything to eat if the family, especially the child, are not still eating the right things," he said. Marcos said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has also launched a new cash grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) dubbed as the First 1,000 Days of Life to free the children from stunting and malnutrition. "In that way, we somehow balance. So, nutrition is the key because we have seen the initiatives of the local government," he said. Around P350,000 would be earmarked monthly for over 68,000 4Ps households with pregnant women and children aged 0 to 2, the President said. "In exchange for this aid, they must attend nutrition education sessions and employment programs," he said. Marcos said the DSWD's Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program also seeks to reduce the incidence of voluntary hunger among low-income households. "These efforts align with the goals of the Philippine Development Plan, which sets the target of achieving zero hunger by 2028," he said. "This ensures that a whole-of-nation approach is pursued as we go toward our goal of promoting the health and nutrition of future Filipino generations," he added. Marcos rallied the support of local government units (LGUs) so the government could cover more ground in the fight against malnutrition and stunting. He said he has directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government to make nutrition a key criterion when awarding the Seal of Good Local Governance. "So, nutrition is the key. And that is why this is such an important event because we have seen the initiatives of the local governments," Marcos said. The annual National Nutrition Awarding Ceremony recognizes high-performing LGUs and local nutrition focal points (LNFPs) with outstanding nutrition program management practices. According to Malacañang, the LGU awardees were chosen based on how they enact policies, allocate budgets, and implement and sustain effective nutrition programs. The LNFP awardees, composed of LGU workers who oversee the coordination and management of nutrition programs, were evaluated based on their capability to coordinate, manage and advocate nutrition initiatives. The LNFP became part of the National Nutrition Awarding Ceremony in 2021.