The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Department of Health (DOH) has reminded local government units (LGUs) that the fight against malnutrition is a shared responsibility—and they are at the forefront of the battle.
Speaking before over 200 mayors and local leaders at the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) Mayor’s Forum 2025 held at SM Aura in Taguig, DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa emphasized the crucial role LGUs play in delivering health and nutrition services directly to communities.
“Mga minamahal na punong bayan, kayo ang tagapagligtas ng kinabukasan,” he said. “I’ve seen mayors transform broken systems into working solutions—leaders who refuse to let poverty dictate destiny.”
Herbosa stressed that the PMNP is a collaborative platform designed to transform local nutrition programs and help achieve the country’s National Objectives for Health. Among its top goals is reducing childhood stunting to 13.5 percent.
He urged local executives to focus on three major health fronts: emergency preparedness and disaster response led by the DOH Health Emergency Management Bureau; smoke- and vape-free campaigns from the Health Promotion Bureau; and anti-stunting and anti-malnutrition programs of the National Nutrition Council.
Alongside LGU representatives, officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of the Interior and Local Government also took part in the forum, which coincided with the Nutrition Leadership and Governance Executive Masterclass under the PMNP.
The national initiative aims to align priorities between agencies and LGUs, empowering local governments to drive community-based solutions that lower malnutrition rates and improve public health outcomes—especially for the most vulnerable sectors.
With stronger coordination and bold leadership at the grassroots level, the DOH hopes to turn the tide in the country’s decades-long fight against malnutrition.