Nurturing Filipino children
The first 2,000 days of a child’s life from the day he is conceived to the time he turns 5 years old are extremely important. This is the formative period in a child’s development. During this time, the brain develops rapidly. The child begins learning many of the basic skills he needs as he grows older. Proper nutrition, health care, and early education can have a lifelong impact on the child’s physical and mental development.
A 2022 Philippine Institute for Development Studies discussion paper showed that early childhood nutrition programs boost academic grades, reading comprehension, and increase the likelihood of completing high school and attending college. Thus, we believe that early childhood care could potentially improve the Programme for International Student Assessment performance of our children.
Based on the 2024 population census, 8.9 million Filipino children are under the age of 5. This is roughly 8 percent of the country’s total population.
The Philippines has laws supporting the first 2,000 days. These include: Republic Act No. 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act which focuses on providing nutrition intervention programs for pregnant mothers and children from 0 to 2 years old; and RA 12199 or the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) System Act which puts emphasis on both nutritional and learning programs for children from 0 to 8 years old.
The problem, as always, is in the execution and, hence, the need for more active intervention. The latest National Nutrition Survey on children under 5 years old indicated that:
a) 16.2 percent of Filipino children are underweight for their age compared to 15.1 percent in 2023. The highest incidence was recorded in Region IV-B (Mimaropa), Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula).
b) 25.3 percent are stunted or small in size for their age, higher than the 23.6 percent in 2023. The highest incidence of stunting was registered in BARMM, Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), Negros, and Mimaropa.
c) Of the 1.2 million Filipino children under the age of 5, only 14 percent (168 thousand) were enrolled in a child development or daycare center in the school year 2024-2025. This is very low compared to the government’s target of 63 percent enrollment under the Philippine Development Plan.
In addition, the number of fully vaccinated Filipino children, aged 12 to 23 months, only reached 62 percent vs the target of 95 percent. By regions, the lowest immunization rates were registered in Mindanao led by BARMM (13 percent), Zamboanga Peninsula (42 percent) and Northern Mindanao (43 percent)
Despite the glaring need to finance programs to support early childhood care, the House of Representatives has decreased the budget for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from P112.9 billion in 2026 to P99.1 billion in the proposed 2027 National Budget. Under the 4Ps, beneficiaries are given cash assistance in exchange for meeting requirements such as bringing their children to rural health clinics for regular health and nutrition check-ups, and increasing attendance in school.
Lastly, the budget of the ECCD Council, the main agency responsible for programs related to the first 2,000 days, will also decrease to P123.8 million in 2027 from P356 million in 2026.
Recommendations. Given the proposed significant reductions in the proposed budget for health care, nutrition, and early education, we would like to recommend the following to strengthen interventions:
•For the President to immediately convene the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council and persuade key leaders of both the House and the Senate to restore or increase the budget of flagship projects like the early childhood care programs for 2027. This can be done by rechanneling resources from nonessential items in the budget such as the unconditional ayuda (P135 billion) and local pet infrastructure projects (P219 billion).
• At the local level, provide counterpart funding or conditional grants to local government units that will make serious investments in the first 2,000 days initiative.
• Strengthen financial support and capacity building for barangay health workers, nutrition scholars, child development workers, and child development teachers.
• Partner with private sector, academe, and nongovernment organizations to expand coverage of ECCD programs in rural and remote areas, and scale up delivery of services where gaps exist.
Conclusion. The first 2,000 days should be among the top priority agendas of the national government because this program is so consequential to the future direction of our country. We can achieve lasting progress if our children are healthy, properly educated and become productive manpower.
At the end of the day, it is our collective responsibility to invest in the welfare of our children and give them opportunities to reach their full potential.
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Gary B. Teves is a Filipino politician and public servant who served as secretary of the Department of Finance.
