Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 29) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said his administration is serious in addressing the “grave” problem of malnutrition, as it launched a project that aims to reduce the number of stunted children by as much as 8% in three years’ time.
Speaking at the launch of the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) funded by the World Bank, Marcos said hunger and food inadequacy continue to be of “paramount” national concern.
“We are talking the bull by the horns,” he said. “In fact, I have made it my own personal mission to address these fundamental problems as I take on the role of Secretary of Agriculture just to make sure that a proper focus is given to that particular challenge.”
In 2021, the World Bank released a report saying there were almost no improvements in the prevalence of undernutrition in the Philippines in nearly 30 years.
It also noted that one in three Filipino children under five years old suffered from stunting, which means they are small in size for their age.
Marcos explained that the PMNP will help local government units (LGUs) most in need of intervention by delivering primary health support and nutrition services, including early childhood care and development, access to clean water and sanitation, technical information, training and financing.
In an interview with reporters after the event, Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said 235 municipalities will be covered by the project.
She added that LGUs will be incentivized through performance-based grants, which local officials may access only if they reach “targeted outcomes” set by the national government.
“Nagawa na rin ito ng World Bank katulong ng ibang gobyerno sa ibang bansa, and ang kanilang naging outcome doon ay nakapag-reduce sila by as much as 8% of stunted children doon sa mga bansang naisakatuparan na ito,” Vergeire said. “So, hopefully, we also get to have that kind of outcome.”
[Translation: This project has already been launched in other countries with the help of the World Bank, and the outcome was that they were able to reduce the number of stunted children by as much as 8% in those nations. So, hopefully, we also get to have that kind of outcome.]
