EDUCATION Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Co-Chairperson Senator Bam Aquino has warned that the country’s severe learning crisis cannot be resolved without first addressing child malnutrition.
Aquino issued the statement as he sponsored Senate Bill No. 2272, which seeks to strengthen and expand Republic Act No. 11037, or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act.
The urgency comes as recent data from the DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) revealed a troubling shift: 25.3% of Filipino children under five years old are stunted, marking the first increase in the national stunting rate in a decade.
According to EDCOM 2 studies, stunting caused by chronic undernutrition permanently impairs cognitive development, reduces school readiness, and limits future productivity.
Aquino asserted that nutrition interventions must be viewed as vital long-term investments in human capital and education reform, rather than temporary feeding programs.
Senate Bill No. 2272 introduces an Expanded National Nutrition Program using a “life-stage approach,” ensuring targeted nutritional support from pregnancy and infancy through adolescence.
Key features of the proposed legislation include:
- Universal Feeding: Mandating free, proper nutrition for all public school learners from Kindergarten to Grade 3—the critical years for developing foundational literacy and numeracy.
- Universal Health Record System: Establishing a data-driven tracking mechanism to monitor a child’s nutritional and developmental growth from the community level through their school years.
- Equity-Based Support: Providing specialized nutritional assistance for marginalized groups, including Indigenous learners, students with disabilities, pregnant learners, and those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).
With the House of Representatives already passing its counterpart measure on third reading, the Senate will continue deliberations to institutionalize this comprehensive approach to human development.
