The Republic Act (RA) 11148 otherwise known as “ Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act” – is an act scaling up the National Health and Nutrition Programs through a strengthened integrated strategy for Maternal, Neonatal, Child Health and Nutrition in the 1st 1000 Days of life, appropriating funds therefor and for other purposes. The Act was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on September 17, 2018 and September 19, 2018, respectively and was approved into law on November 23, 2018 by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
In order that the law will be properly implemented a public consultation was conducted to review the draft Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) on April 5, 2019 at Palacio del Sur, Zamboanga City. The Department of Health together with the National Nutrition Council spearheaded the said activity with nutrition partners like UNICEF and the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Incorporated. The activity was attended by key personalities and served as panel of discussants from the Department of Health represented by Dr. Ruby Constantino, the National Nutrition Council represented by OIC Executive Director Dr. Azucena M. Dayanghirang and the Chief of the Nutrition Policy and Planning Division Ma. Lourdes Vega as well as the Nutrition and Legal Officers of the Department of Health. Almost 100 delegates coming from Regions 9, 12 and BARMM were in attendance that includes interested parties such as public and private stakeholders, local government units, Chiefs of Government Hospitals and other national as well as regional government agencies specifically from the social welfare, agriculture, labor, nutrition, financing and development sectors.
The consultation aims to gather and collect public information, opinions, comments and suggestions that will facilitate the finalization of the IRR. The public were asked about their expectations about RA 11148 as individual and as part of the community as well as issues concerning the child, adolescents, women and maternal health and nutrition that is not included in the law and how these will be included and addressed in the IRR. The comments and suggestions/recommendations as well as their views on the potential barriers or challenges were considered and discussed during the consultation in order to effectively implement the law.
Further, the law tasked the Department of Health, the National Nutrition Council and its Governing Board to formulate a strategy that is comprehensive and sustainable. It seeks to refocus interventions in addressing malnutrition among the most nutritionally at-risk prioritizing women of reproductive age, especially adolescent girls, teen-age mothers, pregnant and lactating women and children from birth up to 24 months to address the health and nutrition problems of these vulnerable groups.
With the five (5) zonal public consultations conducted in separate venues, the IRR will be finalized based on the comments and recommendations of the stakeholders. It is with great hope that the IRR of RA 11148 otherwise known “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act” will be finalized as soon as possible and launched in May 2019.
