DAVAO Occidental remains to have a high malnutrition rate for children, a Council for the Welfare of Children-Department of Social Welfare and Development (CWC-DSWD) official said.
CWC-DSWD-Davao Regional Coordinator Renee Boy Binondo said in a radio interview on Friday morning, November 3, that they have been keeping an eye on Davao Occidental for its high children’s malnutrition rate. Based on the Regional Situation Analysis for Children under the National Nutrition Council (NNC) Davao Occidental has the highest rate of malnutrition in the Davao Region.
Although other provinces have cases of malnutrition, stunted growth, wasting, obesity, and overweight, it is not as alarming as in Davao Occidental.
“Amoa siyang ginatutukan pero sa ubang probinsya dunay malnutrition gihapon na cases, kaning operation timbang, stunted, wasted, obese, and kaning overweight, pero dili na gyud siya ing-ana ka alarming kay sustainable, gapadayon gihapon atoang mga programa (We are keeping an eye but on the other provinces there are cases of malnutrition through our operation timbang, there are stunted, wasted, obese, and overweight but it is not that alarming because it is sustainable, we are continuing our programs),” Binondo said.
During the launching of the Philippine Plan for Action on Nutrition (PPAN) last September 13, 2023 at the SMX Convention Center it was revealed that Davao Occidental had the greatest percentage of children who were stunted or seriously stunted, at 14.4 percent, according to the aggregated statistics of the NNC. Davao de Oro with 6.5 percent, Davao Oriental with 8.9 percent, Davao del Sur with 4.8 percent, and Davao del Norte with 3.9 percent were the next provinces with the highest percentages during the same period.
Davao Occidental continues to lead with 7.6 percent of underweight and seriously underweight children, followed by Davao Oriental with 4.1 percent, Davao de Oro with 2.7 percent, Davao del Sur with 2.5 percent, and Davao del Norte with 2.4 percent.
With 5.3 percent, Davao Occidental continues to have the highest rate of wasting, followed by Davao Oriental with 2.3 percent, Davao de Oro with 0.8 percent, Davao del Norte with 0.7 percent, and Davao del Sur with 0.7 percent.
The department is already conducting pilot projects in the province on behalf of the supplemental feeding program of DSWD and PPAN.
The supplemental feeding program of DSWD aims to strengthen breastfeeding for children ages zero to two, while for three to four-year-old children, there are several community-based or center-based feeding programs of the government to cater to their nutritional needs.
Also, DSWD, the Council for the Welfare for Children, and the National Youth Commission are celebrating November as National Children’s Month. This has been the 31st celebration through Republic Act 10661 otherwise known as the National Children’s Month Act of 2014. This act is an adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on November 20, 1989,
This year's theme ‘Healthy, Nourished, Sheltered: Ensuring the Right to Life for All’ aims to highlight the health, nutrition, and quality of life in the Philippines. RGP
