Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano is pushing for more targeted government interventions to address child stunting, saying existing monitoring methods may not be enough to identify children and families who urgently need assistance.
Cayetano raised the concern during his interpellation on Senate Bill No. 2272, or the Expanded National Nutrition Program Act, one of the 24 priority measures identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council for the 20th Congress.
He noted that one in four Filipino children is stunted and questioned whether the government’s current system can effectively identify those who require immediate intervention.
Cayetano said existing surveys largely use random sampling to determine the prevalence of stunting but do not identify specific children and households that need support.
“You can’t keep applying old solutions to new problems even if your new problem is also an old problem,” he 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 intensified interventions in communities where stunting rates reach at least 30 percent, saying areas with higher prevalence should receive more focused government assistance.
He raised questions about PhilHealth coverage for ordinary stunting and urged lawmakers to distinguish measures that can already be implemented from those that require further study or clarification.
“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.
The senator also called for closer coordination among government agencies, clearer definitions of nutrition-related terms and stronger nutrition education for parents and children.
Despite the concerns he raised, Cayetano expressed support for the proposed legislation, saying it could provide 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.
Photo courtesy of EDCOM 2
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