President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Health (DOH) to intensify efforts to combat malnutrition, as alarming statistics reveal its widespread impact on Filipino children.
DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa reported that 26.7%—or three out of every ten Filipino children—are stunted, with nearly 3 million under the age of five affected. Meanwhile, 15% of children are classified as obese, predominantly from middle to upper-middle-class families.
Herbosa explained that stunting stems from a lack of nutritious food, while obesity is largely attributed to insufficient physical activity. The President tasked the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to lead the fight against malnutrition by implementing the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN).
The NNC, established in 1974, is a multi-agency council chaired by the DOH, with the Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as vice chairs.
To address undernutrition, the government has allocated significant funds, including the Department of Education’s school feeding programs, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s preschool initiatives, and the DOH’s focus on the critical first 1,000 days of life.
