MANILA — Senate President Win Gatchalian has called on local government units (LGUs) to strengthen interventions aimed at addressing the increase in child stunting in the country, following the first reported uptick in a decade.

Gatchalian’s appeal aligns with the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) System Act (Republic Act No. 12199), which assigns LGUs the responsibility of implementing ECCD programs and services, including nutrition and health initiatives for children below five years old.

Data from the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) showed that stunting among Filipino children under five rose to 25.3% in 2025, up by 1.7 percentage points from 23.6% in 2023. The agency noted that the prevalence of stunting had declined from 33.4% in 2015 until the recent increase.

“Hindi tayo maaaring mag-aksaya ng panahon sa pagsugpo sa stunting, lalo na’t kalusugan, kakayahan, at pagkatuto ng ating mga kabataan ang nakataya. Kailangang kumilos agad ang mga LGU para magpatupad ng mga programang pang-nutrisyon para sa mga bata,” said Gatchalian.

Under the 2026 national budget, P9.26 billion has been allocated to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Supplementary Feeding Program, which covers children aged two to five enrolled in child development centers and supervised neighborhood play programs.