THE sustained economic growth achieved by the country averaging at an annual rate of more than 6 percent for the decade 2010-2019 resulted in a significant decline in our poverty incidence. In 2009, the poverty incidence was recorded at 24.6 percent and then dropped steeply to 16.6 percent in 2018, a period of just 10 years. Despite this impressive economic growth and decline in poverty, incidences of malnutrition and stunting among the Filipino children remained high.

The National Nutrition Survey conducted by the government revealed that 5.8 percent or around 800,000 Filipino children under 5 suffer from wasting. It also noted that 28.8 percent or around 3.4 million Filipino children under 5 are stunted and that 19 percent or around 2.1 million of our children under 5 are underweight. The figures are one of the worst in Southeast Asia.

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