Senator Grace Poe has stressed the need for more policies and programs that would advance women's rights and welfare.

Poe had this to say amid the country’s celebration of International Women's Day on Saturday, March 8.

In a statement, Poe said that the occasion was an opportunity to hail Filipino women for their talent, tenacity, and grit.

Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, highlighted the sustained funding for the First 1000 Days Law, which allowed more pregnant women access to maternal healthcare benefits.

"Women, mothers matter significantly in our lives. Access to quality healthcare ensures the good health of a mother and her newborn child," said Poe, author of Republic Act (RA) No. 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act, which was enacted back in December 2018.

"We made a vow more than six years ago to protect the health of mothers and their babies when we passed the law, and we are pleased with the strides this law has achieved for our women," Poe added.

A landmark legislation, the First 1000 Days Law provides nutritional supplements to women and infants. These include vaccination, deworming, vitamin A drops, iron, and food supplement, among others, to improve nutrition and prevent and manage malnutrition.

For 2025, Poe said the First 1000 Days Law will get P997 million for the rollout of its programs.

Further, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in February this year launched its First 1,000 Days program, a conditional cash grant aimed at supporting households during the critical early development of children.

Tutok Kainan, one of the programs being implemented under the law by the National Nutrition Council (NNC), was allotted P24.5 million this year, targeting to assist 782 pregnant women and 874 children from seven local government units (LGUs).

From 2020 to 2024, Tutok Kainan benefitted a total of 113,332 pregnant women and children aged 0 to 23 months from 1,059 local government units that have completed the 90/180-day feeding program duration.

In several areas, the NNC reported significant results of the program such as in Negros Oriental where 98.6 percent (1,193 out of 1,210) of the mother-beneficiaries delivered normal weight babies.

In Albay, a total of 3,425 pregnant beneficiaries also delivered normal weight infants. In Cebu, out of the 1,600 pregnant beneficiaries, the 243 nutritionally-at-risk women dropped to 74.  

"Improved access to maternal health services and systems could not have been more timely and relevant with our celebration of the International Women's Day," Poe said.

"And, as we said when we proposed the First 1000 Days, this one is close to our heart because as an abandoned child, we could have been one of the many children who could not have gotten adequate care," she said.

Poe continued, "But thankfully, despite the circumstances, we survived as a baby and fell into the hands of a loving family."

"Our advocacy for women and children will continue even beyond the halls of the Senate," Poe said.