CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — Malnutrition cases in northern Mindanao have been on a steady decline, according to the National Nutrition Council (NNC)-10, which credits sustained efforts by regional agencies and local government units in addressing child nutrition concerns.
During its first joint meeting with the technical working groups of the Regional Nutrition Committee (RNC), the Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team, and the Philippine Multi-sectoral Nutrition Project, February 21, the NNC-10 discussed the region’s nutrition situation, emphasizing the incidence of underweight, stunting, wasting, and overweight cases in children aged 0 to 59 months old.
The 2023 National Nutrition Survey by the DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) shows that the prevalence of overweight children in Region 10 within the specified age range is of low public health significance.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Operation Timbang (OPT) Plus, spearheaded by the NNC in coordination with local government units, reports a downward trend for the region regarding said cases from 2021 until 2024, with low prevalence levels of underweight and stunting in children in the provinces of Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, and Camiguin; and wasting in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, El Salvador, Tangub, Valencia.
Despite this steady decline of malnutrition indicators manifested in the region, NNC-10 OIC and Nutrition Program Coordinator Reginaldo Guillen emphasized that the TWGs must remain focused on the shared endeavor of reducing malnutrition in Region 10.
“This is not a call for complacency. We will have to continue addressing the problems of malnutrition in the region, thus the technical presentation from our agencies present today,” Guillen said.
As a partner implementing agency, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) contributes to combating malnutrition through its various programs, particularly the Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP), Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP), and the First 1000 Days (F1KD) grant under its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Also among the government’s initiatives to combat malnutrition is the Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program (TKDSP), which operates in multiple phases, ensuring that pregnant women and young children (aged 6 to 23 months) in areas with high malnutrition rates are provided with nutrient-dense food supplementation.
In Region 10, particularly in the provinces of Bukidnon and Lanao del Norte, TKDSP has served 100 percent of its targeted beneficiaries during its previous phases.
In 2025, TKDSP resumed its feeding implementation in eight municipalities in Lanao del Norte province by late January and in nine municipalities in Bukidnon province in mid-February.
To ensure sustainability and long-term funding and support, the RNC-10 has drafted a resolution that pushes for the formal adoption of the program’s implementing guidelines and enables active engagement with local government units, non-government organizations, civil society organizations, the academe, and other institutions in undertaking the feeding program. (GDA/PIA-10)
