Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday called for stronger monitoring and targeted government action against child stunting as he pressed authorities to improve how they identify children who need help.
Cayetano made the call during his interpellation on Senate Bill No. 2272 or the Expanded National Nutrition Program Act, one of the 24 priority bills identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) for the 20th Congress.
He pointed out that one in four Filipino children is stunted and asked if the government’s current monitoring system is enough to identify those who need immediate intervention.
Cayetano, who has long advocated efforts to address stunting, noted that existing surveys rely on random sampling and are mainly used to measure the prevalence of stunting. He said this approach does not provide enough information about specific children and households that need assistance.
“You can’t keep applying old solutions to new problems even if your new problem is also an old problem,” the Minority Leader said.
“If you want to help them, it’s not enough to have a random sample because you have to know where they live and what their circumstances are,” he added.
Cayetano also called for stronger intervention in areas where stunting rates are particularly high, saying communities with stunting rates of 30 percent and above should receive greater attention and more targeted intervention.
He also raised concerns about PhilHealth coverage for ordinary stunting and said the bill should clearly identify measures that can already be implemented while allowing agencies to study areas that need further details.
“When we cannot be specific, let’s be general. Anything that we cannot specify na ito gawin, we’ll talk about it in general. But anything that we can specify, [let’s work on it] to ensure the success of this bill,” he said.
Cayetano also pushed for closer coordination among government agencies, clearer nutrition terms, and stronger nutrition education for parents and children.
Despite his concerns, Cayetano expressed support for the measure, saying it could lead to a more comprehensive approach to nutrition and child health.
“I really support this bill. I really like it when the bills evolve into transformative measures rather than just reactionary. It really goes into [what the] Constitution [states. ] it’s very clear that when you talk about the future, you talk about the children,” he said.
Image from Senate of the PH FB