To address the long-standing problem of malnutrition in the Philippines, adequate and efficient public spending is critical. However, monitoring health and nutrition spending remains a challenge in the country. Critical policy questions, such as the adequacy of public spending on nutrition and the efficiency of that spending, specifically whether resources are strategically allocated to cost-effective interventions, often go unanswered. To resolve this, a systematic and efficient tracking system is needed to obtain regular, reliable data on nutrition spending.
This report proposes a framework for tagging nutrition expenditures of national government agencies. The framework was developed through an exhaustive literature review and validation sessions with government agencies. It consists of five levels of classification: Major Intervention Classification, Program Domains, Program Component Classification, and Specific Interventions. Furthermore, it includes three markers to group and tag nutrition-relevant line-item expenditures, focusing on malnutrition risk factors, nutrition intervention areas, and demographic groups.
The national government can utilize this framework to assess the adequacy and efficiency of public spending on nutrition. It can also help determine the alignment of public spending with the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition and with reform actions such as the Universal Health Care Act and multisectoral and life-course approaches to health and nutrition.
