Iloilo Intensifies Campaign Against Hunger with New Task Force
ILOILO CITY — In a significant move towards eliminating hunger, the Iloilo provincial government announced the formation of a task force dedicated to integrating food security, nutrition, and health initiatives. This decision was revealed during the recent Zero Hunger Summit, which aims to address persistent nutritional challenges in the region.
According to Philippines News Agency, Provincial Health Officer I, the commitment to form the task force was made by Provincial Administrator Raul Banias on behalf of Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. The summit, held last Tuesday, was a collaborative effort between the provincial government and the Zero Hunger Alliance. This alliance represents the largest network focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 2, aimed at achieving zero hunger. Dr. Wendel emphasized that the challenge of eradicating hunger requires the collective effort of all relevant sectors.
The urgency of this initiative is underscored by recent nutritional data presented at the summit. While there has been a decline in malnutrition rates since 2020, significant numbers of children remain affected by stunting, wasting, and being underweight. Current figures show that in 2024, underweight cases have decreased to 2.4% from 3.47% in 2020, wasting has reduced to 0.94% from 2.12%, and stunting has dropped to 4.52% from 8.73%. Despite these improvements, there are still 3,841 underweight children, 1,366 cases of wasting, and 6,559 instances of stunting in the province.
The task force’s creation follows several proactive measures already in place, such as Project Nutrivac, which began in 2022 and combines nutrition support with vaccination efforts, initially reaching 50,000 people. This project also provided NutriVac packs during its two-month run from July to August 2022. Additionally, 3,375 malnourished children received nutri-buns, and 735 benefitted from meal supplementation. Collaborative efforts have also been extended to the Philippine Multi-sectoral Nutrition Project and the National Nutrition Council, focusing on specific towns and barangays known for high malnutrition rates.
The provincial government’s continued commitment to these health and nutrition initiatives aims to ensure that no child or household in Iloilo goes hungry, moving closer to achieving the goal of zero hunger across the region.