By Liza Soriano
MANILA — Senator Imee Marcos emphasized on Monday (October 14, 2024) that various departments need to work together to tackle the malnutrition issue in the country.
Marcos raised her concerns during the continuation of the Finance Subcommittee I briefing on the proposed 2025 budget for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and its attached agencies.
She stated that agencies must identify their target beneficiaries and develop varied approaches, recognizing that severely malnourished children face different circumstances than those who are mildly malnourished.
“Given the state of malnutrition in the country, our current efforts are not effective. I’m not placing blame, but we need to coordinate better among the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Health, and the Department of Education. Our nutrition programs simply aren’t working,” Marcos told Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
In response, Gatchalian informed the committee that a group comprising the three departments mentioned by Marcos had already been commissioned by the National Economic and Development Authority to synchronize their programs.
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