DOH ordered to campaign for healthier food options
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday directed the Department of Health to campaign for healthier food options to address malnutrition and stunting through the consolidated efforts of the government.
President Marcos met officials of DOH and other concerned agencies in Malacañang on Tuesday to discuss the strategies, initiatives, challenges, and ways forward on the implementation of DOH’s First 1,000 Day (F1KD) Program.
“We have to educate people to eat healthier options. We go back to the main point I think is how do we consolidate all of these things that we are doing,” President Marcos said during the meeting.
“Well, I think Ted, (Secretary Herbosa) is doing many things already. Pero may gaps sa coordination and may overlap. I’m sure there’s some wasted effort and funding there. So, I think that’s where we can focus on,” he said.
President Marcos also wants the DOH to focus on 34 Philippine Plan for Action for Nutrition (PPAN) priority areas with high cases of stunting and malnutrition.
The President noted well-off provinces and localities still post high numbers of malnourished and stunted children.
Among the priority areas in Luzon are Pangasinan, Isabela, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Quezon, Cavite, Rizal, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Masbate, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon.
In Visayas, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Antique, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar are top priorities.
Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, Davao del Sur, Cotabato, Surigao del Sur, BARMM, Sulu, Basilan, Maguindanao, and Tawi-Tawi are among the priorities in Mindanao.
According to Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, contributing factors are plenty, one of them is the people’s behavior toward food consumption.
Stunting in children under five years old is at 26.7 percent and wasting at 5.5 percent. Micronutrient deficiency, particularly in Vitamin A, Iron, and Iodine, significantly affects children below five years of age and lactating and pregnant women.
The country is also facing overnutrition, with childhood obesity at 14 percent (five to 10 years of age) and adult obesity at 40 percent. PCO
