Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gave the thumbs up to the proposed food stamp program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which would also cover pregnant and lactating women.
“All green lights go na for the pilot, which will take place shortly,” Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said during a Palace briefing on Tuesday.Gatchalian said the pilot, which would run for six months, will be fully funded by grants from the Asian Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the French Development Agency.The initial implementation secured funding worth $3 million, he noted.“There’s a provision to expand it, and the ADB is working on other trust funds so we can expand the pilot,” the DSWD official said.“The president also wants to bring in pregnant, lactating mothers. We need to start looking at stunting in the country and the first 1,000 days of this program is very important,” he added.
The program seeks to help one million Filipino families belonging to the lowest income bracket.
On the importance of including pregnant and lactating women, Gatchalian said the majority of the existing feeding programs are facility-based, and this may be the first one that could provide proper nutrients to the mothers and the infants.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa also said that the first few years of a child are crucial for development.
“Brain development is like the first 7 years. So even if I do feeding, the damage has happened,” Herbosa said.
