Malnutrition/hunger. Stock image. INQUIRER
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the national government is studying how to provide incentives to local government units (LGUs) in the fight against malnutrition.
He issued the remark during the launch of the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP), a collaborative effort between the Philippine government and the World Bank to improve the nutritional status of Filipinos.
Marcos said the PMNP aims to provide primary health care support and nutrition services, access to clean water and sanitation, technical information, training, and financing to LGUs needing intervention to address malnutrition.
“The program will also incentivize the participating LGUs. We were just having a very quick discussion about how that should be – how we can achieve that,” he said in his speech.
“We see very clearly the problems that arise at the ground level,” Marcos added.
The President lamented how health care is not a priority at the local level, noting a lack of capacity and ability, as well as skills and manpower.
“So we have found a way to bring the LGUs in. Because it is without their partnership, we do not get to what is often referred to as the last mile. That is always the problem when you try to translate a program from the national level, a program of the national government, all the way down to the local government, down to the barangay level,” he said.
Marcos also urged the Department of Health to collaborate with other government agencies in harmonizing and implementing sound diet and nutritional policies and practices.
He called for the employment of “best efforts” to ensure a “well-orchestrated coordinated strategy” to implement nutritional programs across the country.
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