Nutrition stakeholders in the Cordillera were told to exert more effort to avert cases of stunting among children less than five years old.

Department of Health North Luzon Cluster OIC Asec. Myrna Cabotaje said aside from addressing cases of wasting, underweight, and obesity, nutrition workers and local government units should also pay attention to stunting among kids under five years old.

Cabotaje, who recently addressed awardees of the best implementers of nutrition programs in the Cordillera, said the statistics on stunting shows a grim picture not only in the region but also nationwide.

“We need to pay special attention to stunting because it is a sign of chronic malnutrition,” Cabotaje said.

Citing the 2015 survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Cabotaje said that 3.8 million kids below five years old nationwide are stunted.

In the Cordillera, one in every three children below five years old is stunted, one in 10 is underweight, four in 100 are wasted or thin, and three in every 100 kids are overweight based on the same study.

Cabotaje said this is the reason why combating malnutrition is everybody’s concern, as emphasized in the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022.

“The PPAN is everybody’s plan. It needs the cooperation of the different sectors, not only the National Nutrition Council or the DOH. Every stakeholder must own the program,” she said.

Cabotaje added the PPAN 2017-2022 is not a new program, but it requires nutrition workers and the local government units, among the other stakeholders, to focus and come with strategies on how to address the problems.

“This is why it is important for all stakeholders to realize that they own the problem. By owning the problem, we can plan the solution,” she said.

The DOH and the National Nutrition Council have recently awarded individuals and LGUs that have shown exceptional efforts in maintaining and improving the nutritional status of their communities.

Among the other awardees, the barangays with zero prevalence of stunting in 2016 were also cited during the Regional Nutrition Awarding.

In Baguio City, 19 barangays have not recorded cases of stunting among kids below five years old last year. 

Benguet have 15 barangays; Ifugao, 14; Kalinga eight; and Mountain Province have six barangays with zero prevalence of stunting. by Jane B. Cadalig  of the Baguio Midland Courier