Four local government units (LGUs) in Cebu recorded child stunting prevalence rates of at least 17%, with Tuburan posting the highest rate at 20%, according to data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).
Malabuyoc followed with an 18% prevalence rate, while Carcar and Sibonga each recorded 17%.
The figures identify the four LGUs with the highest reported stunting prevalence among Cebu areas included in the dataset.
Across Cebu, including its cities and municipalities, 24,950 children aged 0 to 5 were recorded as stunted, based on EDCOM 2 data ranking the top 30 LGUs in the province by the number of affected children.
The figures also show that the LGUs with the largest number of stunted children do not necessarily have the highest prevalence rates.
Cebu City recorded the largest number of stunted children at 2,463, but its reported prevalence was 3%.
Carcar had the third-highest number of cases at 1,612 and a prevalence rate of 17%. Tuburan recorded 868 cases at 20%, while Sibonga had 831 cases at 17%.
Malabuyoc, despite recording 271 cases, had an 18% prevalence rate, placing it among the Cebu LGUs with the highest proportion of stunted children in the dataset.
Other LGUs also posted relatively high prevalence rates. Catmon recorded 14%, while Balamban, San Francisco and Carmen each posted 13%.
Asturias and Madridejos recorded 12%, while Santa Fe had an 11% prevalence rate.
The data highlight two different ways of looking at Cebu’s stunting situation: the number of affected children, or magnitude, and the prevalence rate, which measures the proportion of children affected within the population covered.
Stunting refers to impaired growth resulting from chronic or recurrent undernutrition and is closely associated with nutrition and care during early childhood.
EDCOM 2 has emphasized the need for stronger interventions during the First 1,000 Days, including improvements in frontline health and nutrition services, local government implementation, nutrition data and coordination among government agencies.
The Cebu figures come as EDCOM 2 reported that the national stunting rate among children under five reached 25.3% in 2025, equivalent to about 2.6 million children nationwide.
The commission said the figure marked the first increase in the country’s stunting rate in a decade, underscoring the need for stronger nutrition interventions during early childhood.
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