DSWD to implement “BangUN” program

ELIMINATING MALNUTRITION --- DSWD Undersecretary Mae Fe Ancheta-Templa (3rd from left) graced the opening program of the orientation workshop on Bangsamoro Umpungan sa Nutrisyon (BangUN). Others present were Department of Health-ARMM Secretary Kadil Jojo M. Sinolinding, Jr., DSWD-ARMM Assistant Secretary Hadja Pombaen Karon Kader, and DOH Assistant Secretary and Executive Director of National Nutrition Council (NNC) Maria Bernardita T. Flores. (BENJAMIL TIBUMBO - MINDANAO EXPOSE’)

 COTABATO CITY --- The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM) conducted last February 6-11 in Cotabato City an orientation workshop to partner agencies on the upcoming implementation of its newest anti-hunger and malnutrition program, the Bangsamoro Umpungan sa Nutrisyon (BangUN).

Hadja Pombaen Karon Kader, assistant regional secretary of DSWD-ARMM, said BangUn is slated to be implemented in pilot areas of Maguindanao and Sulu provinces.

“The DSWD together with partner agencies shall target children ages 0-12 years old initially in the towns of Mamasapano, Datu Salibo, Datu Piang, Shariff Saidona Mustapha, Shariff Aguak, Guindulungan, and Talayan in Maguindanao. For Sulu, it would be the towns of Jolo, Maimbung, and Patikul,” she said.

BangUN program is a response to the high incidence of hunger and malnutrition among children in the ARMM by harnessing a holistic approach and convergence of the various nutrition-support programs of government agencies.

The prevalence of stunting in the growth of children under five years old in 2015 is highest in the ARMM where poverty is aggravated by its vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters, including armed conflict.

Records of DSWD’s Listahanan show the region has the most number of poor households, or 573,446 out of 925,957 assessed households. The figure is 11.2 percent higher than the rest of the regions. A total of 31,000 child deaths are linked to under-nutrition, representing 45 percent of total child deaths. There are also 3.7 million cases of under-nutrition, including diarrhea, acute respiratory infection, and anemia.

BangUN was initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte during his visit in the ARMM on October 29 last year “to forge solidarity among all stakeholders to assist in eliminating the problem of malnutrition and ensure that children in the ARMM grow healthy and strong.”

Earlier, ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman pledged P214 million in support of the program. This is in addition to the P48-million budget the DSWD Central Office has allocated to the program for the remaining months of 2016.

Accordingly, the ARMM remains the poorest region in the country with poverty incidence among households rising from 46.9 percent in 2012 to 49.6 percent in the first semester of 2015. One out of two families in the region are living below the poverty line threshold with 44.5 percent food insecurity rate, which means that one out of two families cannot afford to bring basic food on their tables at least three times a day.

Haroun Alrashid Lucman, Jr., regional vice governor and concurrent DSWD-ARMM secretary, said the department is doing everything to address the issues of the poorest of the poor communities in the ARMM.

“This is the reason why we converge all programs to provide holistic support to individual beneficiaries making them the same beneficiaries to various anti-poverty programs,” he said.

In a previous statement, DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said Duterte has called their attention to the hunger and malnutrition problem in the ARMM and said the agency should look into it and find solutions.

“This program is the answer,” she said.

BangUN aims at: improving the nutritional status of 0-12 years old children identified as underweight and severely underweight who are residing in priority communities and/or enrolled in Madaris and public elementary schools with no feeding program; empowering parents in the communities to achieve food security and good health for their children and their families in general; and building resilient communities by facilitating their access to convergence of  various nutrition-support programs of government agencies. (GILMHAR A. LAO - MINDANAO EXPOSE’)