Marcos to DOH: Promote healthier food options to fight malnutrition

Facade of the Department of Health office in Manila. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to promote healthier food options to address malnutrition and stunting through the consolidated efforts of other government agencies.

On Tuesday, Marcos met with officials of the DOH and other concerned agencies to discuss the strategies, initiatives, challenges, and ways to implement the health department’s First 1,000 Day Program.

READ: Herbosa: DOH mapping out initiatives to prevent teen pregnancy

“We have to educate people to eat healthier options. We go back to the main point…how do we consolidate all of these things that we are doing,” Marcos said during the meeting.

“Well, I think Ted, [Health Secretary Herbosa] is doing many things already. But there are gaps in the coordination and may overlap. I’m sure there’s some wasted effort and funding there. So, I think that’s where we can focus,” he said.

Marcos also directed the DOH to focus on 34 Philippine Plan for Action for Nutrition  priority areas with high cases of stunting and malnutrition, such as Pangasinan, Isabela, Bulacan, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Antique, Negros Oriental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay, among others.

For his part, Herbosa stressed that people’s behavior toward food consumption is one contributing factor to malnutrition and stunting.

“Apparently it’s partly behavior because they don’t want to eat the gulay. Feeling nila ang gusto nilang kainin, ‘yung kinakain nung mga mayayaman, lechon. Ngayon, it’s all the other fast food,” Herbosa told Marcos.

(Apparently, it’s partly a matter of behavior because they don’t want to eat the vegetables. They feel like they want to eat what the wealthy eat, like lechon (roast pig). Nowadays, it’s all about fast food.)

“So, that’s their idea of delicious food. When in fact, when you look at the Pinggang Pinoy, it’s fish, protein source, rice, and vegetables. Easily available in these areas,” he also said.

Marcos further said the government must boost the National Nutrition Council in helping local government units prioritize nutrition and the health of their constituents.

The country is currently suffering from undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiency.

According to Herbosa, 26.7 percent of children in the country ages five and below are stunted.

Meanwhile, childhood obesity is at 14 percent among children five to 10 years of age, and adult obesity is at 40 percent.