To boost nutrition services vs stunting

RECOGNIZING the need for a more consultative process of implementing government programs, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH) held a Mayor’s Forum with local chief executives and other local officials to enhance the implementation of the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) on March 28, 2023 in Manila.

The PMNP is a holistic project that aims to harmonize the delivery of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions to reduce stunting in targeted localities around the country.

The DSWD will serve as one of the co-implementers of the PMNP together with the DOH.

In his message, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured the local chief executives of a stronger partnership with the social welfare department.

“We want to make sure that your voices are heard. We want to make sure that this is collaborative and consultative. Ito ho yung magiging driving principle ng DSWD sa mga susunod na panahon sa tuwing maglalabas po kami ng mga programa,” Gatchalian said.

The DSWD secretary also mentioned the need to create a “holistic plan” to combat stunting in the country.

“There are things that we can do that are a stimulus to fighting stunting. For instance, daycare centers, WASH facilities, improvement of food security facilities, yung mga bagay na ito noon tinitignan natin sila not as health interventions but as stand-alone interventions. But now, ang kakaiba rito, itatali ho natin sila lahat into a holistic program that both looks into nutrition-specific and the nutrition-sensitive angles of it.

Naniniwala tayo na kapag pinagsabay-sabay natin itong mga solusyon na ito, sa madaling panahon, makikita natin na bababa at bababa yung numero ng stunting sa ating bansa,” added Gatchalian.

As co-implementer of the program, the DSWD will hold community-based nutrition service delivery and multisectoral nutrition convergence through the “Kapit-Bisig Laban Sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services” (Kalahi-CIDSS) program.

Kalahi-CIDSS utilizes the community-driven development (CDD) approach, which empowers community members to actively participate in identifying and prioritizing their locality’s problems. The program also enables the locals to design, implement, and manage solutions to their priority problems, including solutions to actively address health concerns such as stunting.

‘Public warned anew against individuals posing as DSWD employees’

The DSWD warned the public anew against individuals pretending to be connected with the department and “promising” to provide financial aid, medical assistance, and other services of the agency, without the assessment of its social workers.

This, after the recent incident in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, where a person, who allegedly posed as an employee of the DSWD, ran away with the collected donations intended for the treatment of the newborn conjoined twins in the area.

According to the report, after the father of the twin posted the situation of his newborn twin to social media, the poser contacted him and promised that the DSWD will shoulder the entire amount of the twin’s surgery.

In exchange, the “poser” then asked for the one-time-pin (OTP) of the online mobile wallet application, where the collection for the donations was lodged, which the father obliged.

The father realized later that he was “scammed” by a poser, who carted away more than P50,000 worth of donations that the family had collected for the twin’s medication.

The DSWD strongly reminded the public to be vigilant in giving out personal information and not entertain individuals, especially those who communicate through online platforms and/or mobile phone calls, identifying themselves to be officials or employees of the social welfare department promising assistance or help.

The DSWD condemned the act and assured the public that it is currently investigating the pilfering of the donations to determine if the concerned individual is an employee of or connected with the agency.

Meanwhile, the DSWD, through its Field Office XI, has coordinated with the family of the conjoined twins and has extended P5,000 financial assistance as an initial response, under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, for the treatment of the newborn twins.

Also, the DSWD continues to coordinate with the family for other services that they may need for the hospitalization and operation of the twins.

The DSWD reiterated that “individuals in a crisis situation” – those who are seeking medical, burial, transportation, and educational assistance, among others, must proceed to the nearest DSWD Field or Satellite Office in their area for proper assessment and assistance to the agency’s AICS program.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ryan Ponce Pacpaco