(This is a press release from the Department of Health.)

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) granted a total of P560 million to 235 Local Government Units (LGUs) across the country under the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) to fund critical nutrition efforts, particularly the First 1,000 Days nutrition interventions, to address malnutrition.

The Performance-Based Grants (PBG) were awarded to LGUs for achieving 100 percent of their PBG Tranche 1 nutrition targets under the project. 

The PMNP-PBG mechanism is a crucial financial and technical support provided by the DOH to its project municipalities to enable them to finance and implement interventions tailored to address the health and nutrition needs of pregnant women and children under five years old. Special attention is given to nutrition interventions in households with children in their first 1,000 days to contribute to the reduction of stunting and malnutrition in the country. 

The PBG amount to be received by the LGUs depends on their performance toward achieving their set nutrition goals and objectives under this sustainable multisectoral model for complementing internal revenue allotment for health and nutrition at the local level.

In addition, it also provides financial flexibility for innovative measures, system strengthening, and service delivery, particularly for vulnerable populations, indigenous groups, and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs). 

The Tranche 1 PBGs were awarded to the local chief executives of the 235 LGUs at the DOH-convened PMNP Mayors Forums held in July in Tacloban, Manila, and Davao, representing the Visayas, Luzon, and Mindanao clusters, respectively.

At the events, municipal mayors showcased their engagements with their communities, targeted expenditures and strategic plans for allocation of resources for primary health care, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and early childhood care and development, and their local visions, and strategies for effective nutrition governance to serve the needs of women and children in their communities. These efforts will be further supported by PBG financing. 

“Local chief executives and representatives are in the best position to effect change and influence better health and nutrition practices. The radical change in nutrition leadership and governance at the grassroots. Let us envision our municipalities with significantly reduced malnutrition rates, raising children with great cognitive abilities and excellent school performance, striving to be productive citizens towards a Bagong Pilipinas, kung saan Bawat Buhay Mahalaga,” said Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.

All 235 PMNP municipalities are eligible to receive two more tranches of PBG: Tranche 2 amounting to P1.8 billion and Tranche 3 amounting to P1.1 billion. Through the DOH component of the PMNP, partner municipalities are set to receive a total of P3.5 billion in PBG to fund nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions as detailed in their respective Municipal Nutrition Action Plans (MNAPs). – Rappler.com