Nutrition Project step toward stronger workforce – CSC chair
CIVIL Service Commission (CSC) Chairperson Karlo Nograles expressed utmost support for the campaign to end malnutrition as the administration launched the Philippine Multi-sectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) on 29 March 2023 at the Manila Hotel, Manila City.
“Buo ang ating suporta sa layunin ng PMNP na paigtingin ang programang pangkalusugan ng bansa tungo sa pagkakaroon ng malulusog at malalakas na mamamayan na magsisilbing pundasyon ng isang matatag at maunlad na ekonomiya,” he said.
Chairperson Nograles, who also served as the Chairperson of Task Force on Zero Hunger during his term as Cabinet Secretary, said that the three-year project is a product of a collective effort to address an urgent health concern plaguing the country – childhood stunting and wasting.
“The CSC believes that by introducing interventions in primary healthcare, child nutrition, sanitation practices, and education, the PMNP does not only support better health outcomes. It also complements our mandate to promote effective human resources management and, ultimately, paves the way toward creating an efficient and competent government workforce,” added Chairperson Nograles.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), the PMNP differs from other maternal health and child nutrition interventions, in that it also recognizes the interplay of various factors – education, livelihood, social welfare, sanitation, and governance – that affect the nutritional status of the Filipino people.
Funded by a multibillion-peso loan from the World Bank, the PMNP aims to deliver nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions for mothers and children under five years of age in communities toward reducing childhood stunting and wasting.
The launching and commitment ceremony of the PMNP was led by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., together with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian; DOH OIC Secretary Dr. Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire; National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan; Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos, Jr.; World Bank Country Director Dr. Ndiamé Diop; United Nations Resident Coordinator ad interim Khalid Hassan; BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, Al Haj; local chief executives in PMNP areas, as well as officials and representatives from national government agencies.
