Cebu child malnutrition persists amid nutrition programs, funding gaps

Thousands of Cebuano children continue to suffer from malnutrition despite years of government nutrition programs, with health officials citing poverty, food insecurity, and limited funding as persistent barriers to improving children’s health.

The challenge is reflected in the latest nutrition data, which showed that Cebu Province recorded 20,664 stunted children below five years old in 2025, the highest among local government units nationwide. 

The province also ranked second in underweight cases with 8,672; ninth in wasting cases with 3,141; and fifth in overweight and obesity, having 5,911.

National Nutrition Council-Central Visayas (NNC-7) Nutrition Officer III Nasudi Soluta said Cebu continues to experience all three forms of malnutrition—undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies—which they refer to as the “triple burden of malnutrition”.

“Cebu covers the triple burden of malnutrition. There are children who are undernourished, overnourished, or have micronutrient deficiencies,” Soluta said.

Soluta added that stunting, a chronic form of malnutrition caused by prolonged inadequate nutrition, often begins during pregnancy and continues throughout a child’s first two years of life. 

She emphasized that the first 1,000 days, from conception until a child’s second birthday, remain the most critical period for preventing irreversible physical and cognitive effects.

In response to the province’s nutrition concerns, Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro announced a P140-million allocation for the provincial feeding program and the deployment of seven mobile kitchens, one for each congressional district.

The mobile kitchens, expected to be delivered this month, aim to strengthen food security initiatives and improve access to nutritious meals in local communities.

As part of the province’s Nutrition Month initiatives, the governor also led the ceremonial distribution of Vitamin A and iron supplements to toddlers. The provincial government plans to distribute 600,000 Vitamin A capsules and 300,000 iron supplements to rural health units across Cebu’s cities and municipalities.

Baricuatro said addressing malnutrition requires treating nutrition as a priority rather than a secondary government program.

“Malnutrition is not only a health concern. If you ask me what kind of Cebu I dream of, my answer is simple: a Cebu where every family has the opportunity to live a healthy and dignified life,” Baricuatro said.

Meanwhile, Soluta said addressing Cebu’s long-standing nutrition problems will require healthier food production and consumption, stronger nutrition education, and sustained collaboration among local governments, national agencies, communities, and the private sector.

To address the problem, the NNC, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and local government units are implementing the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project, while Cebu Province is strengthening partnerships with the Zuellig Family Foundation to improve nutrition governance and reduce child stunting.