SOUNDING the alarm on malnutrition, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go on Sunday stressed the need for immediate action and a united approach to address the problem in a more holistic manner.

He pointed out that the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022 is an essential part of the government’s efforts to address this issue.

One of the strategic thrusts of the Plan is to focus on the first 1,000 days of life to ensure the optimum physical and mental development of the child.

“I am proud to say that we have taken a big step towards ensuring that the government gives priority to the first 1,000 days of life with the passage of Republic Act No. 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act during the Duterte administration,” he said.

Go emphasized that proper nutrition is a fundamental aspect of healing and maintaining overall health especially for patients and those in the medical community.

“We must ensure that our patients, as well as our tireless healthcare workers and frontliners, have access to nourishing food during these trying times,” he said. “Ang importante po sa akin ay may laman ang tiyan ng ating mga kababayan. Unahin natin ang kapakanan ng mga mahihirap. Sikapin nating walang magutom sa kanila.”

Go recently conducted various feeding initiatives for patients, hospital workers, and frontliners in public hospitals with Malasakit Centers to promote the importance of proper nutrition.