Transforming Nutrition in the Philippines

The Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) is a Government of the Philippines initiative, with financing from the World Bank, to increase delivery of nutrition and health services in 275 municipalities across 13 regions in the country, including BARMM. Via a tripartite partnership between the Department of Health, UNICEF and the World Bank, UNICEF is providing technical expertise in project evaluation, Social and Behavioral Change (SBC), third-party verification (TPV) of Performance-based Grants (PBGs) and PMNP Fiduciary Systems, and capacity building on nutrition and primary health care for the PMNP.

Why PMNP Matters

PMNP uses a whole-of-government approach to address child stunting by:

• Delivering a cohesive package of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions tailored for households with pregnant women and children aged 0-2 years.
• Implementing geographic convergence strategies to ensure targeted intervention delivery.
• Investing in both supply-side and demand-side interventions to enhance accessibility and utilization of nutrition services.
• Utilizing a harmonized, evidence-based and comprehensive SBC approach to improve key nutrition behaviors and practices known to reduce stunting.
• Incentivizing local government units to achieve notable nutrition outcomes through the provision of performance-based grants.
• Focusing on equity to elevate the nation’s nutrition and health status comprehensively. 

How is PMNP Making a Difference: A Progress Update

Following desk reviews and consultations with multiple stakeholders at various levels, UNICEF, and the Department of Health have identified five key behaviors to improve nutrition outcomes during the critical first 1,000 days: 1) Antenatal Care Visits; 2) Breastfeeding; 3) Complementary Feeding; 4) Participation in Diversified Household and Community Food Production Initiatives; and 5) Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).

With support from UNICEF, the first third-party verification of Performance Based Grants to Local Government Units (LGUs) was successfully completed, enabling the disbursement of the first tranche of funds to 235 municipalities.

Additionally, UNICEF and the Department of Health have developed individual municipal data profiles for the 235 target municipalities in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and 40 in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). These profiles are helping to inform and guide localized planning and monitoring of nutrition activities at the municipal level.

What’s Next

Moving forward, UNICEF and the Department of Health plan to finalize the baseline impact evaluation assessment. In addition, a media audit and formative research will be conducted to inform the development of the SBC strategy and interventions. UNICEF will also provide technical assistance to the PMNP in one additional key area – capacity building. This will focus on three main aspects: a) Nutrition and Primary Care Services; b) Nutrition Leadership and Governance for LGUs; c) Data Quality Checks for the Field Health Service Information System (FHSIS) and Operation Timbang Plus (OPT+) or –growth monitoring. These efforts aim to strengthen local capacities and enhance the effectiveness of nutrition initiatives.