There were many lauded statements made by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) but one that particularly gladdened the hearts of groups advocating against malnutrition and stunting was when he said that government’s “Walang Gutom 2027” (No Hunger) program, which initially targetted 2,300 households will be increased to 3,000 food-poor households across the country by end 2024.

The program, the President said, “will continue until we feed one million of the most food-poor Filipinos by 2027.” He added, “An important component of our strategies to address malnutrition shall be the program for the ‘First One Thousand Days,’ or the first two years of a child’s life. To ensure the health and nutrition of children zero to two years old from the poorest families, we have proposed in the 2025 national budget a new grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program for this purpose.”

What is the “first 1,000 days” and why is it so vital? It refers to a child’s life from conception until he/she reaches 24 months when the child’s brain, body and immune system develop significantly.

Nutrition plays an all-important role in a child’s development and poor nutrition during a child’s first 1,000 days can result in irreversible damage to his/her growing brain, affecting the ability to do well in school and later to earn a living, making it more difficult for a child and his/her family to rise from poverty.

A 2021 World Bank Study pointed out that one in three children younger than five years old suffer from stunting. The Philippines, said the WB, is ranked fifth among countries in East Asia and the Pacific with the highest prevalence of stunting and is among 10 countries in the world with the highest number of stunted children.

Philippine regions with stunting levels exceeding 40 percent of the population include the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (45 percent), Southwestern Tagalog (MIMAROPA) with 41 percent, Bicol region (40 percent), Western Visayas (40 percent) and the south-central Mindanao region (SOCCKSARGEN), with 40 percent.

There is also a high prevalence of micronutrient (vitamins and minerals needed by the body in small amounts) undernutrition in the country, that is, 38 percent among infants six to 11 months old; 26 percent among children 12-23 months; and 20 percent of anemic pregnant women.

Some 95 children in the Philippines perish from malnutrition daily, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Twenty-seven out of 1,000 Filipino children do not get past their fifth birthday and a third of children are stunted or short for their age. After two years of age, stunting can be permanent, irreversible, and even fatal.

The case for good nutrition as a core foundation for a country’s economic prosperity cannot be overstated, and thus, investments in nutrition, particularly among children from food-poor families, are highly cost effective.

Persistently high levels of childhood undernutrition could lead to a staggering loss of the country’s human and economic potential, robbing children of their chance to grow normally and succeed in life.

Moved by this urgently critical problem, the Children’s First 1,000 Days Coalition (CFDC) comprised of NGOs and various government agencies was organized and, in a national summit in May 2023, launched a nationwide nutrition program for children in their first 1,000 days of life.

In June 2023, the CFDC, along with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, met to plan the rollout of a nationwide nutrition intervention program aimed at addressing malnutrition and stunting among Filipino children up to three years of age.

Later, the CFDC also partnered with the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the same purpose. A Memorandum of Agreement was inked by DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos and CFDC chairman Joey Lina in December 2023. The MOA was aimed at paving the way for a community-driven approach in addressing malnutrition at the grassroots level.

Earlier this year, the CFDC, along with over a thousand civil society and government leaders, launched its NGO Ops Manual and Training at the Manila Hotel

Finally, last Monday, the President declared concrete support for the overall effort to combat malnutrition and stunting in the country.

CFDC chairman Lina heartily welcomed the President’s initiative which he said “goes a long way in boosting government and the private sector’s efforts in fulfilling Republic Act 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Magnanay Act.”

Likewise, for his part, Malusog at Matalinong Bata Coalition co-convenor Lyonel Tanganco too expressed gratitude to the President, DSWD Secretary Gatchalian and the agency for including malnutrition and stunting as a priority of the administration.

“We’re giving our deepest thanks for recognizing that this is an urgent human and economic problem that must now be addressed urgently if only to prevent its devastating effects on our children and the country as a whole,” he said.