President Marcos is amenable to a proposal to give a “First 1000 day-grant” for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries who are pregnant, nursing a child, or those with two-year old children as part of efforts to address malnutrition in the country.
“This is just a proposal. I told the President during our sectoral meeting that we might introduce a First 1000 day-grant wherein beneficiaries who are pregnant and those with two-year old children will have additional grants that only last until they have passed through such life stage,” said Secretary Rex Gatchalian of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Gatchalian said the President appeared receptive to the idea and has instructed the DSWD to work with concerned agencies, particularly with the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), to refine the proposal.
He explained that this projected additional grant will serve as an incentive for the target beneficiaries to avail themselves of health services.
This is to serve as an incentive for them to have this what we call health-seeking behavior which means they will be motivated to go to the health center, register, avail of pre-and post-natal care, and post-partum treatment, including immunization for their 0 to two-year old children,” he added.
The DSWD chief said the idea would only be for 4Ps subset beneficiaries who are pregnant, nursing babies, or those with 0 to two-year old children and is just temporary until such time that they have passed through the critical stage.
The DSWD serves as lead agency of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger (IATF-ZH) which has been directed by the President to prioritize the implementation and monitoring of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs to address food insecurity in the country.
Meanwhile, the Malusog at Matalinong Bata Coalition (MMB Coalition), an alliance of advocacy groups, academics, and nutrition advocates committed to fighting stunting in the Philippines through policy reforms, has expressed support to the proposal of the DSWD chief.
In a statement, the MMB Coalition described stunting as a critical condition where children suffer from restricted growth and cognitive development due to malnutrition.
The group also cited that stunting currently affects approximately 26.7 percent of Filipino children between infancy and five years of age.
“Although stunting is most visibly marked by limited physical growth, its more profound impact is on cerebral development, with 80 percent of brain growth occurring by the age of two and 90 percent by five,” the coalition said.
Suboptimal brain development contributes to diminished academic achievements and reduced economic prospects in adulthood, it said.