A PHILIPPINE Senator called on local government units to provide better Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programs to combat malnutrition.
“We need to mobilize our local government units in the delivery of ECCD programs and services, including nutrition and healthcare programs. We also hope to achieve this once the ratified ECCD bill is signed into law,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said in a statement over the weekend.
Earlier, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. urged local government officials to increase investments to tackle the county’s malnutrition problem.
He has also ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government to include healthcare and nutrition as priority indicators in the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).
“This aligns with our proposal, which was adopted in the ratified Early Childhood Care and Development System Act, ECCD indicators shall be incorporated in the Relevant Assessment Criteria under the SGLG,” Mr. Gatchalian added.
Lawmakers, on Feb. 3, approved the consolidated version of the ECCD Act, co-authored by Mr. Gatchalian. — Adrian H. Halili
