An expanded national nutrition program, with a more proactive approach to stunting, is on track to passage in the Senate after the plenary accepted amendments by Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, one of the chief advocates of the bill.
Provisions requiring earlier detection, regular monitoring, and targeted interventions for children at risk were among the amendments to Senate Bill No. 2272, or the Expanded National Nutrition Program Act, that were read at Monday’s Senate session following Cayetano’s interpellation of the measure in a previous plenary session.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian commended Cayetano for his advocacy against child stunting, while bill sponsor Senator Paulo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino thanked him for the proposed changes, saying the amendments were ‘really making this bill so much better.’
The amendments would explicitly recognize stunting as a critical national health and education concern, while common definitions of stunting, severe acute malnutrition, and other relevant nutrition terms, as well as a common measurement system will be adopted.
This would allow government agencies to work from the same standards when implementing interventions and setting targets and assessing outcomes.
The amendments would also establish a National Anti-Stunting Action Plan, with areas facing high stunting and food insecurity prioritized for technical and financial assistance.
A Nutrition and Growth Monitoring Program would likewise regularly track children’s weight, height or length and other nutrition indicators.
Local Government Units would play a central role in implementing the measure with Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars and other trained personnel would identify children who are undernourished, stunted or at risk and ensure their referral, intervention and follow-up.
The proposal also reflects Cayetano’s push to build on Taguig City’s integrated nutrition, health monitoring and physical activity practices.
Schools would likewise conduct regular height and weight measurements and nutrition assessments of school-age children.
The proposal puts particular focus on the first 1,000 days of life, from conception through the first 24 months, and provides specific interventions for children who are stunted or at risk, including feeding support, complementary food, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, and Vitamin A and zinc supplementation.
The senator had earlier sought a shift from simply measuring the prevalence of stunting to identifying the specific children who need help.
He also urged lawmakers to make the bill specific on interventions that can already be implemented.
‘When we cannot be specific, let’s be general. Anything that we cannot specify, we’ll talk about it in general. But anything that we can specify, [let’s work on it] to ensure the success of this bill,’ he said.