IRR for ‘First 1,000 Days’ law seeks to use ‘whole of nation’ approach to fight malnutrition

DAVAO CITY – The new law, which aims to strengthen the laws that promote the health of mothers and babies in the first 1,000 days of life, will tap various government agencies to address the problem of child malnutrition.

During the fourth public consultation on the draft implementing rules and regulations of the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act or Republic Act 11148 here Wednesday, Luz Taguinicar, DOH's program manager for nutrition, said the government has already been implementing the critical intervention. And she said the new law will further strengthen the existing policies.

“Ginagawa na natin yan, palalakasin lang natin,” she said.

The law seeks to scale up the nutrition intervention programs for the first 1,000 days of life by allocating resources to address malnutrition among infant and young children from 0 to 2 years old.

Among the national government agencies that will be tapped for the law’s implementation are the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council, and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

There will also be the participation from the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Budget Management (DBM), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOSTFNRI), National Youth Commission (NYC), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).

The DepEd for instance is expected to provide leadership and technical and funding support for parenting and parent-support services and interventions. And will develop modules for the first 1,000 days of life. The DOLE is also tasked to lead the review and update its policies and issue guidelines to employers to protect mothers.

Under the draft IRR of the law, the prenatal services in community will include early identification and management of pregnant women and pregnant adolescent females who are nutritionally-at-risk. The government will also provide them with ready-to-use supplementary food aside from dietary supplementation.

“Currently, may pre-natal tayo pero wala tayong assessment whether the mother is nutritionally-at-risk,” Taguinicar said.