House bill pushes national anti-obesity program

Jerome Cristobal/INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Muntinlupa City Rep. Jaime Fresnedi has filed a bill proposing a comprehensive national program that aims to manage and curb obesity among Filipinos, 27 million of whom are overweight, based on 2022 data from the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute. House bill pushes national anti-obesity program

In his House Bill No. 10162 or the “National Integrated Obesity Management” measure, Fresnedi noted the “great burden” posed by obesity, which is on the uptrend, on the country’s healthcare system due to “increased cases of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other obesity-associated illnesses.”

“The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated as the long-term well-being of the nation is at stake,” he said.

READ: Winning the fight against obesity

Under HB 10162, the National Integrated Obesity Management Program will serve as the framework for all government anti-obesity activities. The program aims to “decrease the overall mortality and impact of all occurrences of adult and childhood obesity, lessen the incidence of preventable obesity in adults and children, and provide timely access to optimal obesity-related services,” including access to counseling, nutritionists, and dietitians.

Policymaking body

The measure defines obesity as “an excess proportion of total body fat usually diagnosed when a person’s weight is at least 20 percent more than his or her normal or ideal weight. It is usually measured in body mass index and is affected by, but not limited to, age, gender, genetics, environmental factors, physical activity, psychological factors, illness and medication.”

The bill also mandates the creation of a National Integrated Obesity Management Council under the Department of Health to act as the policymaking, planning, and coordinating body on obesity control.

In Quezon City, an ordinance recently approved by Mayor Joy Belmonte requires restaurants to publish the calorie count of foods available on their menus. The local government is currently working on implementing rules and guidelines for the ordinance, which will take effect after a one-year grace period.

Exempted from the policy are small food stalls, ambulant vendors and local eateries or karinderya.

While the move has been lauded by nutrition experts, they said more should be done to lower obesity trends.

READ: More than one billion now afflicted by obesity: Lancet

Publishing the amount of calories, or the energy provided by consumed food, aims to encourage healthier living in Quezon City, where 19.9 percent of school-aged children and 43 percent of adults were considered overweight or obese in 2018.

Calorie labeling

For Philippine Association of Nutrition (PAN) board member Rolando Yu, calorie labeling will encourage consumers to improve food choices and restaurants to reformulate menus toward healthier offerings.

But fellow PAN board member Fia Batua-Mambuay said that focusing on calories might obscure other important macronutrients, adding that international studies also show that calorie counting leads to varying or unsuccessful results.

Still, both saw the good intention behind the policy which they called a positive “step forward.” To further improve it, PAN president Hector Maglalang said the city must sharpen data about its residents’ health and food preferences.

“I hope the first step is to do a baseline study. There should be a monitoring and evaluation phase for this ordinance [after full implementation],” he added. INQ