A short presentation on the role of state universities and colleges in the Philippines in eradicating stunting among Filipino Children under Age 5

1. ERADICATING STUNTING AMONG FILIPINO
CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5
The Role of State Universities and Colleges
(SUCs)

2. • Undernutrition (stunting and underweight) among
children is found to be correlated with academic
performance (Abebe, et. al., 2017)
• Three in every 10 Filipino children under age five
have stunted growth (about 3.8 million) in 2015.
Stunting prevalence is higher in rural (38%) than in
urban areas (28%). Almost half (49.2) belong to the
lowest wealth quintile are stunted. Childhood stunting
causes more than 19 billion USD in future adult
productivity in the Philippines.
The Problem

3. The
Solution
CTTO
On 29 November 2018, the First 1000 Days Bill, now known as Republic Act
No. 11148, otherwise known as “An Act Scaling Up the National and Local
Health and Nutrition Programs Through A Strengthened Integrated
Strategy for Maternal, Neonatal, Child Health and Nutrition in the First
One Thousand (1,000) Days of Life, Appropriating Funds Therefor and
For Other Purposes,” was signed into law.
The primary aims of the law
• provide evidenced-based nutrition interventions to pregnant and lactating women and
children two years old and below in order to reduce infant and maternal deaths;
• address malnutrition among children;
• allocate resources for those interventions;
• Ensures the sustained and meaning participation of national government agencies,
particularly the Department of Health and National Nutrition Council, as well as local
government units, civil society organizations and the private sector.

4. CTTO
Nearly six months later, on May 2, 2019, the
Department of Health launched the implementing
rules and regulations (IRR) for RA 11148 to
present the policy direction, budget and
expenditure plans, operational guidelines and
intervention program in the first 1000 days in order
to achieve zero hunger, improve health and
nutrition, and address malnutrition
The
Solution

5. In short, there is no specific appropriation or budget to implement the First 1000 days
policies and programs.
Crux of the
Matter
While RA 11148 specifically provides for the appropriation of funds for its implementation, Section 1 of
Rule 19 of the IRR of RA 11148 provides that “the amount needed for the initial implementation of this
Act shall be charged against the appropriations of the Department of Health, Department of
Agriculture and the National Nutrition Council, and the key agencies mentioned in this IRR,” (i.e.,
Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Budget
and Management, Department of Education, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Science
and Technology, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Trade and Industry, Food
and Drug Administration, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, National Economic and Development
Authority, Philippine Statistic Authority, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Civil
Service Commission, Commission on Higher Education, National Anti-Poverty Commission, National
Youth Commission, and the Professional Regulation Commission

6. SUCS can be one of the champions in investing on human capital for a more
competitive Philippines
Proposed
Intervention
State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are one among the key agencies specifically
mentioned in RA 1147 and its IRR to champion the maternal, neonatal, child health, and
nutrition in the first 1000 days of life, albeit, SUCs have the primary responsibility,
among others, in “the observance for the continuing intellectual growth,” (Section 2, RA
7722, otherwise known as “Higher Education Act of 1994”) which is one of the goals of
RA 11148 in addressing the primary cause for poor academic performance of stunted
children that will result in decreasing adult productivity.

7. “The First 1000 Days Childcare Learning Program”
Possible Project
“The First 1000 Days Childcare Learning Program” - which includes programs such as :
a. Capacity building of health human resources i.e., barangay health and nutrition volunteers
and other personnel in local government units who will be involved in the implementation of
the First 1000 Days Strategy;
b. Extension services, e.g., adopt a day-care centre by providing highly qualified pre-elementary
graduate students in the College of Teacher Education as adjunct teachers in the poorest
barangays in the Province of Batangas;
c. Conducting evidence-based research and learning of the first 1000 days of life.

8. Implementation without a specific mandate to do it is always a
challenge
Why SUCs? Why not?
The Challenge

9. Capacity building of health human resources can
make a big difference in the success of addressing
the problem on stunting.
“Bureaucracies charged with implementing policies to build
human capital often lack the capacity to do so effectively,” (The
Changing Nature of Work, The World Bank, 2019) and SUCs’
interventions can help address that gap.
The Challenge

10. SUCs’ best graduate students in pre-elementary education
can assist low-quality pre-elementary teachers in day-care
centres in the poorest barangays (villages) in the
Philippines, hoping that it will achieve the same results.
In the United States, replacing a low-quality teacher in an
elementary school classroom with an average-quality teacher
raises the combined lifetime income of that classroom’s students
by US$250,000. (World Bank, 2019)
The Challenge

11. While poverty remains to be the main cause of stunting, a
comprehensive program to ensure proper health care of the
children on their first 1000 days will be a big step to prevent
stunted growth – a sign of chronic malnutrition that affects the
child’s cognitive development, overall health, and even socio-
economic conditions that are carry on to adulthood.
The Call for
Concerted Action
Concerted Action for Comprehensive First 100 Days Program

12. SUCs:
A Part of the Multi-Agency/Multi-Sectoral/Multi Stakeholders Approach
Undernutrition (stunting and underweight) among
children is multidimensional; hence, it requires multi
agency and multisectoral response and involvement
from multiple stakeholders, including State
Universities and Colleges.
The Call for
Concerted Action

13. Thank you.
References
Abebe, F., Geleto, A., Sena L., and Hailu C., Predictors of academic performance with due focus on undernutrition
among students attending primary schools of Hawa Gelan district, Southwest Ethiopia: a school-based cross
Jim Yong Kim, The Human Capital Gap: Getting Governments to Invest in People, July/August 2018
Republic Act No. 11148, An … available at https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2018/11nov/20181129-
RA-11148-RRD.pdf
The Changing Nature of Work, IBRD/The World Bank, 2019.
The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act (RA) 11148, otherwise known as “Kalusugan at
Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act,” available at https://dmas.doh.gov.ph:8083/Rest/GetFile?id=641352.
The Philippine Statistics Office website - https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/Stunting_Children.pdf