Sen. Grace Poe yesterday prodded the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger to intensify efforts to stop hunger and malnutrition among Filipino children amid the pandemic.
She stressed the country needs a focused, community-based approach in addressing the problem of malnutrition in Filipino children led and backed by the whole of government.
“Hunger is a reality in this pandemic and children in poorer families are worse off,” said Poe, a child welfare advocate.
With the soaring prices of pork, chicken, and fish, she said malnutrition in children is a certainty “unless we work now to stave it off.”
In a study released last week, the World Bank said acute malnutrition or wasting among Filipino children is already happening, and the toll it takes on their young bodies will only be seen in the next years.
She noted that challenges in the distribution of cash subsidies and the lack of adequate sources of livelihood at the height of the lockdown last year affected the most vulnerable population, especially poor children.
“Amid the government vowing to keep the economy afloat and make it rebound, there hasn’t been enough attention on the impact of the pandemic on poor children and their nutrition,” Poe noted.
The World Bank study said poverty is one of the most important causes of undernutrition and that four out of 10 children in poor households are stunted.
“Children in poor families need all the help we all can give. Attending to their nutrition and growth must be our collaborative commitment,” said Poe, who authored the Masustansiyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act.