CEBU CITY — The National Nutrition Council (NNC) is turning over the frontline fight against child malnutrition to local governments, as it rolls out reforms aimed at cutting stunting rates among the country’s estimated 8.7 million children under five.
NNC-Central Visayas shared NNC Executive Director and DOH Undersecretary Dr. Albert Francis Domingo’s insights that the agency will move away from centralized feeding programs and instead download major dietary supplementation funds directly to LGUs.
Implementation belongs on the ground, directing massive, centralized feeding operations from a policy office often creates procurement and supply chain bottlenecks. To make sure LGU-led programs work, NNC is overhauling how it measures performance.
Instead of counting planning documents and compliance reports, the Council will now track real health outcomes — actual reductions in stunting, wasting, and underweight among children. The new system will use multi-sectoral scorecards developed with the DBM, DILG, DepEd, and DSWD. LGU ratings will be tied directly to improvements in child nutrition data.
At the core of the strategy is an expanded “Unang Yakap” First 1,000 Days benefit package in partnership with PhilHealth and the DOH. The package covers the entire nutrition window — from pre-conception to 59 months — including food fortification like folate in flour to prevent birth defects, antenatal care, newborn vaccination, exclusive breastfeeding, and complementary feeding.
To reach families beyond 4Ps beneficiaries, NNC is also studying incentives that link routine health center visits to food assistance programs. Driving these efforts on the ground will be the country’s 42,000 Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS), who conduct household mapping to find and assist malnourished children even in remote communities.
“Policy must align seamlessly with local execution. By sharpening our focus on outcome-based metrics, empowering LGUs, and safeguarding the first 1,000 days, we ensure public resources translate into a healthier, stunting-free future for Filipino children,” Domingo said.
NNC-7 said the reforms are part of its mandate to realign operations toward client-based services and prioritize hunger and malnutrition.
Under Presidential Decree No. 491, NNC functions primarily as a policy and coordinating body. The new setup, he said, empowers mayors, barangay officials, and community health workers to take full ownership of nutrition programs in their areas. (Photos: NNC-7)
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