18/05/2026
๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐_๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ
Taguig City - The National Nutrition Council (NNC) expresses its strong support for the findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) in its 2025 final report entitled โTurning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reformsโ. The report presents compelling evidence of a deepening education crisis confronting Filipino learners that is strongly rooted in malnutrition during the early childhood, particularly within the first 1,000 days of life.
Studies consistently show that when malnutrition, especially stunting, persists beyond the First 1,000 Days of life, it causes irreversible damage to brain development, cognitive capacity, and
school readiness. These impairments cause long-term consequences that extend into the classroom and throughout the life course. The education crisis our country is facing is a delayed outcome of decades of inadequate nutrition and care in early life. Proper nutrition is fundamental to the development of intelligence, emotional stability, social behavior, and overall health.
Children who are deprived of adequate nutrition are prone to
infections and illnesses which lead to stunting, a chronic form of malnutrition with permanent physical and cognitive consequences. When children enter school already disadvantaged by poor
nutrition, the education system inherits a challenge that could have been prevented much earlier.
As the countryโs highest policymaking, coordinating, and implementing body in nutrition, the NNC reaffirms its unwavering commitment to advancing the focus on First 1,000 Days of life as a
high-impact, cost effective solution to persistent malnutrition in early years and its long-term effects on learning outcomes. Even prior to the enactment of the Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11148
or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act in 2018, focus on the First 1,000 Days of Life strategy was already embedded in the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022.
In 2017, through the Early Childhood Care and Development in the First 1,000 Days Program, the NNC rolled out integrated interventions on health, nutrition, early education, and social services.
By 2019, 57 out of 59 municipalities and 11 out of 12 provinces received a total of โฑ121 million pesos to implement nutrition-focused initiatives, including food gardens, nutrition education, growth monitoring, and local mobilization efforts.
The passage of R.A No. 11148 further reinforced and institutionalized the First 1,000 Days of Life Strategy, strengthening national and local government accountability in delivering comprehensive nutrition services to pregnant women and young children. It also redefined NNCโs mandate in addressing malnutrition focusing on the First 1,000 Days of Life.
The NNC currently models the Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program, which is an intervention that provides nutrient-dense food commodities to nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and undernourished children 6โ23 months old to help prevent low birth weight and stunting. The program is carried out in partnership with local government units, which provide counterpart support in human resources and logistics to ensure effective service delivery at the community level. From 2021 to 2025, Tutok Kainan reached 59,681 pregnant women across 461 LGUs and 36,714 children in 380 LGUs within PPAN priority provinces. Program coverage varies annually depending on available budget, with the highest allocation in 2024 at โฑ208 million, which enabled expanded implementation nationwide.
Despite declining budget allocations in recent years, the NNC has sustained its advocacy and program implementation. These include nationwide digital campaigns and the use of radio and TV to promote the First 1,000 Days of life, the development of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials, the distribution of handbooks for Local Nutrition Focal Points, and intensified Social and Behavior Change activities through its regional offices. The Council has also actively mobilized local government units (LGUs) to prioritize investments in early childhood nutrition, resulting in sustained local engagement and continued recognition of LGUs demonstrating excellence in nutrition governance.
The NNC acknowledges EDCOM IIโs observations on gaps in interagency coordination and implementation challenges related to R.A. No. 11148 and R.A. No. 11037 (Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act). At present, the NNC operates on an annual budget of approximately โฑ311 million and faces institutional limitations, including leadership and workforce constraints. Nonetheless, the Council has initiated key reforms aligned with EDCOM IIโs recommendations, including:
1. The development and enhancement of a National Nutrition Information System and Nutrition Management Information System, in response to its mandate per R.A. No. 11037.
2. Strengthening program convergence and budgeting coordination for nutrition and school feeding programs, which, fortunately, is part of the priority legislative agenda for the 20th
Congress by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council.
3. Reinforcing multistakeholder coordination and collaboration through Scaling Up Nutrition Network.
4. National Nutrition Council (2019). ECCD F1K Accomplishment Report. Taguig City, Philippines.
In line with EDCOM IIโs recommendation to strengthen NNCโs mandate and accountability mechanisms for joint planning across government agencies, the NNC strongly supports the same and recommends the following institutional reforms:
1. Creation of Nutrition Offices with adequate staffing pattern at the provincial, city, and municipal levels;
2. Development of a national First 1,000 Days Strategy Roadmap that will complement EDCOM 2โs roadmap and serves as a guide for all government agencies and stakeholders in implementing programs under the First 1,000 Days; and
3. Pursue amendments to NNCโs legal frameworks, such as Presidential Decree (P.D.) No. 1569, P.D. No. 491, and review of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of R.A. No. 11148.
Sustaining progress in nutrition requires decisive and continued government support. The NNC calls on the national government to further strengthen investments in nutrition. All government
agencies, LGUs, development partners, the private sector, and the academe are also urged to align their initiatives with the PPAN 2023โ2028 to accelerate progress toward improved learning
and development outcomes.
Well-nourished children are bound to learn, grow, and succeed. By prioritizing the First 1,000 Days and strengthening early childhood care and development, we lay the foundation for a more
equitable education system and a more productive nation.
Eventually, we can build a society that
champions nutrition and ultimately fulfill a nation achieving Nutrisyong Sapat, Para sa Lahat.
Contact person:
EMMANUEL JAY D. DIMAL, EdD, MBA
Nutrition Officer V and Chief, Nutrition Information and Education Division
National Nutrition Council
8843-01-42 | nied@nnc.gov.ph
