Rev. Fr. Anton Pascual, executive director of Caritas Manila and president of Radio Veritas, has raised the alarm over the increasing number of cases of malnutrition among children in the Philippines.

Urging Catholic Faithful

According to the Manila Bulletin, as the Christian community prepares to commemorate the season of Lent, Fr. Pascual urged those who call the Church their home to assist those individuals and families unable to obtain sufficient food consistently and to perform further acts of charity. The Church leader remarked at the recent inauguration of the Scholars of Sustenance, where he was the honored guest.

The season of Lent is a time to undertake more significant labor for charitable organizations. People can assist those who are in need of food when they refrain from eating or fasting. Giving to charitable causes is an excellent approach to getting started on the path that leads to God. The priest emphasized that the cash raised through contributions to the Church would provide food for underprivileged and malnourished children.

Similarly, Fr. Pascual cautioned the church congregation to avoid wasting food. Rev. Pascual also reminded the people not to forget Pope Francis' warning against living in a society of disposability. Because many worldwide struggles to find food, Pope Francis has urged people never to waste food. Hunger and malnutrition have no place in a civilized society and a predominantly Christian nation like the Philippines. Thus, the pope emphasized that people ought to contribute in some manner to the relief effort.

On the other hand, Philstar Global reported that the corporate sector and business groups had requested the Marcos administration, urging them to find a solution to the problem of malnutrition among youngsters, which was the root cause of the pupils' disappointing academic performance.

At a forum that was co-led by Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and Makati Business Club (MBC), leaders in the business industry sounded the alarm on how the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation could deepen poverty and lead to even more stunting, which is when a child is small in size for their age. The organizations came together to issue a statement calling the public and private sectors to invest in education and nutrition to "build human capital" and "enhance economic growth."

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Fight Against Malnutrition

As per the Philippines' Department of Health, the first set of Filipino national guidelines for the management of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) in children under the age of five was published by the Department of Health (DOH) in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP).

It aims to significantly lower, if not outright eliminate, the rate of acute malnutrition in the Philippines, said Martin Bettelley, Country Director ad interim of WFP Philippines.

The rules align with the Department of Health's Agenda, titled "All for Health towards Health for All." In addition, they favor implementing the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022, which seeks to increase the survival rate of children under five years old, lower the incidence of acute malnutrition, and reduce the death rate among children.

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