A house leader on Friday called for the immediate implementation of Republic Act 11148 or the First 1,000 Days Act.
Deputy Speaker and AAMBIS-OWA Rep. Sharon Garin lauded the efforts of the Department of Health, the National Nutrition Council Governing Board, and all stakeholders involved in the drafting of the implementing rules and regulations of the said law. She, however, said that “time is of the essence” and stressed the need to expedite its release.
Garin warned that the delayed implementation of the First 1,000 Days Act will only hamper the nation’s progress and that the next generation of Filipinos is bound to face its repercussions.
“The future of our country is in the hands of healthy and productive Filipinos. How can we usher a new generation of healthy and productive Filipinos if providing the basic nutritional and developmental needs of both mother and child are delayed? We must all remember that the crucial stage of brain development occurs during the first 1,000 days of life. This includes important primary structures and processes that support one’s fundamental behaviors,” Garin said, citing the policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
According to the AAP, neglecting this crucial window in the most active period of neurological development may result into a lifetime of medical and psychosocial problems, lost academic achievement and productivity, and possible effects on the next generation.
In addition, the failure to provide adequate essential nutrients during the first 1,000 days of life may later translate into increased expenditures in the form medical care, psychiatric and psychological care, remedial education, loss of wages, and management behavior.