MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will prioritize improving the nutrition of children during their first 1,000 days of life, as the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council transitions into an attached agency of the department in 2026.

DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla underscored the crucial role of proper nutrition in early childhood development, saying it has a lifelong impact on a person’s growth and potential.

“The most critical part of a young person’s development is in the first 1,000 days. And in the Philippines, nutrition seems to be the most deficient part. More than exposure to learning materials, it is nutrition where we are lacking,” Remulla said during a budget hearing on Thursday.

He said the DILG will work with local government units (LGUs) to strengthen feeding programs and ensure greater access to nutrition-based interventions in Child Development Centers (CDCs).

“If we can have better intervention through the mandatory feeding of children, it will go a long way in increasing the mean IQ development of our children,” he added.

Remulla also cited data linking early childhood nutrition to cognitive performance. “The functional IQ for a working person in a factory in a province in Cavite is about 90, which is functionally literate enough to operate. But the national average is around 86. That is not because of the lack of education but the poor nutritional value of children’s upbringing at a young age,” he said.

To address these challenges, the DILG is urging both local and national governments to ensure that every barangay has an operational CDC offering quality child development and nutrition programs.

Currently, over 28,000 barangays have CDCs, but the department said more effort is needed to expand access and improve service delivery.

Under Republic Act No. 12199 or the Early Years Act of 2023, LGUs are mandated to deliver ECCD programs focusing on nutrition, education, and holistic care. The law also transfers the ECCD Council as an attached agency under the DILG, to be co-chaired by the DILG and the Department of Education (DepEd).

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has allocated ₱1 billion for the construction of additional CDCs in barangays that do not yet have such facilities.

Through strengthened ECCD implementation and nutrition programs, the DILG said it remains committed to giving every Filipino child the best possible start in life — building a healthier and more capable generation under the Bagong Pilipinas vision.