SENATE President Sherwin Gatchalian called on the government Friday to promptly address the rising cases of child stunting, which was observed in the country for the first time in a decade.
The call was in time for the observance of National Nutrition Month and the report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) citing data from the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, saying that stunting among Filipino children under five rose to 25.3 percent in 2025 from 23.6 percent in 2023. The increase reversed years of steady progress, with the rate having declined from 33.4 percent in 2015.
“In the fight against malnutrition, the role of our communities, especially the LGUs, is important because they are the closest to the children who need to be reached and helped,” Gatchalian said.
He said local government units are central to the country’s nutrition drive under Republic Act 12199, or the Early Childhood Care and Development System Act, which requires LGUs to implement early childhood care and development programs, including nutrition and health services for young children.
The latest figures, he said, indicate that roughly one in four Filipino children below five years old is stunted, a condition resulting from chronic undernutrition that can impair physical growth, cognitive development, learning outcomes, and future productivity.
To support efforts to address child malnutrition, the senator said that the 2026 national budget provides P25.6 billion for the Department of Education’s School-Based Feeding Program and P9.26 billion for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Supplementary Feeding Program. JAVIER JOE ISMAEL
Gatchalian said sustained collaboration among LGUs, national government agencies, schools, and communities will be crucial to reversing the increase in stunting in Filipino children.
