4-5 Filipino mothers die daily during childbirth

MANILA, Philippines — An average of four to five Filipino women die every day while giving birth, prompting a House leader to call for government action.

Citing latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte said yesterday a total of 1,616 maternal deaths were recorded last year.

The figure was higher by 132 from the 1,484 maternal deaths in 2018, Villafuerte said.

He called for the full implementation of Republic Act 11148 or the First 1,000 Days Law, which he authored to ensure that mothers and children get the right nutrition in the first 1,000 days of the babies’ development.

Villafuerte said the law is crucial in addressing not only maternal deaths but also malnutrition among newborns.

“With this law, we can significantly reduce cases of malnutrition and, in the long run, end the cycle of malnourished women giving birth to malnourished daughters, who, in turn, grow up to become malnourished mothers themselves,” he said.

The first 1,000 days refer to the 270 days or nine months of the baby in the mother’s womb up to the time of his or her second birthday.

Villafuerte said the law, which expands health and nutrition programs for pregnant and lactating mothers as well as their babies, could be implemented by the task force on hunger eradication created by President Duterte.

“The establishment of the Inter-agency Task Force on Zero Hunger will bring the President closer to his goals of accelerating poverty reduction and spelling decent lives for all Filipinos,” Villafuerte stressed. 

The law seeks to reverse the alarming malnutrition trend responsible for the death and stunted growth of Filipino babies, he said.

Based on the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), the PSA described maternal death as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of the termination of her pregnancy, and from any reason other than accidental or incidental cause.

WHO data showed that 5.9 million children worldwide die of malnutrition. Statistics from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) showed that one in three Filipinos two years and below is malnourished. 

Studies also showed that foundations of a person’s lifelong health—including the predisposition to obesity and certain chronic diseases—are largely set during the first 1,000 days.

 “The First 1,000 Days Law appears to be a social protection program meant to shield poor mothers and children from malnutrition, but its impact on the economy is extensive. If the law is effectively implemented, we can be assured of future generations of Filipinos who can ably compete in the global economy because they are healthier and smarter,” Villafuerte pointed out.

The task force was created to address hunger and formulate a National Food Policy to advance the country’s goal of ending hunger by 2030. 

Through Executive Order No. 101 signed by the President last week, the the task force would focus on addressing involuntary hunger, food security, undernutrition, child wasting, stunting and mortality that continue to be serious concerns in the country.

The task force will be headed by the secretaries of the Cabinet and of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and will have for members the secretaries of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Budget and Management, Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, Labor and Employment, Interior and Local Government, Trade and Industry, Science and Technology, and Communications along with the director general of the National Economic and Development Authority and chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education.