GENERAL SANTOS CITY (May 8) — Local government leaders in Soccsksargen are backing a stronger community-based campaign against child malnutrition, saying the battle against stunting cannot be won by government alone but through collective action from families, health workers, and communities.
During a recent media forum in General Santos City, the Department of Health–Center for Health Development Soccsksargen underscored the importance of a multisectoral approach in addressing malnutrition, particularly among children under five years old.
At the center of the campaign is the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP), a government-led initiative supported by the World Bank and local government units aimed at reducing stunting in vulnerable communities.
The program is currently being implemented in the municipalities of Palimbang, Kiamba, and Banisilan — areas identified as having high stunting rates and limited access to health and nutrition services.
For many local officials, the project has become more than a nutrition program. It has also become a lifeline for geographically isolated communities struggling with poverty, poor access to healthcare, and lack of basic services.
Palimbang Mayor Myrna C. Kapina said the grants provided through the program helped rehabilitate daycare centers, fund supplemental feeding activities, and distribute vitamins to children and pregnant women in remote barangays.
She noted that many villages in Palimbang remain difficult to access, making health and nutrition interventions especially challenging.
The municipality also focused on identifying malnourished children per barangay so interventions could be directed where they are most needed.
Meanwhile, Kiamba Mayor George F. Falgui stressed that malnutrition remains a serious issue nationwide, especially among children below five years old.
He emphasized the importance of the “first 1,000 days” — from pregnancy until a child reaches two years old — describing it as the most critical stage for brain development and long-term health.
Kiamba used part of the project funds to improve daycare centers and upgrade barangay water systems, recognizing that access to clean water is directly linked to disease prevention and better nutrition outcomes.
Nutritionist-dietitian Jessen T. Masukat, PMNP focal person for DOH-Soccsksargen, said stunting affects not only a child’s physical growth but also brain development and future learning capacity.
She stressed that nutrition interventions must begin as early as pregnancy and continue through infancy.
Masukat also pointed out that feeding programs alone are not enough to solve malnutrition.
“Malnutrition is everybody’s problem,” she said, emphasizing the need for behavioral change within households and communities, including proper feeding practices, maternal care, sanitation, and health awareness.
Local officials and health authorities reported that project areas have already recorded declining stunting rates, which they described as an encouraging sign that community-driven interventions are working.
Even after the PMNP ends, participating local governments vowed to continue funding nutrition initiatives by integrating them into long-term development plans and strengthening barangay-based health and feeding programs.
For many families in vulnerable communities, officials say the goal is simple but urgent: ensuring that no child’s future is permanently shaped by hunger and poor nutrition.
