A NATIONAL health official has urged lawmakers in Congress and local councils in Central Visayas to prioritize the creation of local nutrition offices with professional staff.
Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Dr. Abdullah Dumama Jr. made his call during the Cebu launch of the five-year plan to enhance child nutrition and food security in the Visayas last Oct. 2, 2023.
Dumama, who attended the launch of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2023-2028 for the Visayas, in Cebu City, last Oct. 2, stressed the importance of having “meaningful discussions” to ensure effective PPAN implementation, especially at the local level.
“I have full trust that all of us present here today will work together to ensure that malnutrition is addressed in these areas by implementing and investing in the PPAN as the blueprint of action,” said Dumama, who attended the launching on behalf of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.
The PPAN 2023-2028 for the Visayas serves as the region’s five-year blueprint for nutrition and food security enhancement.
The new PPAN will also serve as a guide for various stakeholders, including the national government agencies, local government units, the private sector, and other stakeholders in the next five years.
It encompasses the plans, objectives, strategies, and measures outlined by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) Governing Board, Regional Nutrition Committee, and the Regional Scaling Up Nutrition initiative to address malnutrition in the country.
Dumama emphasized the importance of PPAN as he said there are tangible socioeconomic benefits associated with addressing malnutrition, underlining the critical role of this agenda in driving the nation’s development.
Malnutrition
Jovita Raval, chief of nutrition information and education of the NNC, said regions with malnutrition often have high poverty rates and are vulnerable to natural disasters, making recovery challenging.
Raval said Cebu is one of the 34 provinces in the country identified by NNC with malnutrition issues, especially among children under five.
Other provinces on the list are Leyte, Sulu, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Samar, Lanao del Norte, Masbate, Palawan, Basilan, Camarines Sur, Quezon, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Maguindanao, Bukidnon, Iloilo, Cavite, Bulacan, Cotabato, Oriental Mindoro, Pangasinan, Rizal, Davao del Sur, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Pampanga, Sorsogon, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Surigao del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Antique, and Tawi-Tawi.
Data from the 2022 Operation Timbang Plus showed that 8.5 percent or 55,741 children under five years old in Central Visayas suffer from stunting.
This figure, however, indicates an improvement from the 2021 count, which stood at 72,179.
Moreover, 14,503 preschool children in Central Visayas were affected by acute malnutrition in 2022, a decrease from 17,884 in 2021.
Raval added that positive trends were observed, with the percentage of underweight children aged 10 to 12 years decreasing from 4.9 percent in 2021 to 3.6 percent in 2022.
Likewise, obesity among children aged five to 10 years old declined from 3.1 percent in 2021 to 2.8 percent in 2022.
Food security
Raval said that apart from malnutrition, PPAN 2023-2028 also addresses food insecurity, involving insufficient access to safe and nutritious food.
PPAN initiatives involve establishing food gardens in schools and communities, setting up Kadiwa stores, and providing health and nutrition services in schools.
She added that the plan aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and contributes to poverty reduction and hunger alleviation.
Representatives from different local government units and government agencies in Visayas received a copy of the PPAN during the launch.