The first 2,000 days and beyond

The first 1,000 days of life, from conception to a child’s second birthday, are globally acknowledged as the most critical period for growth and development. During this phase, a child’s brain and body undergo rapid development, making adequate nutrition and health-care interventions crucial for lifelong health, learning, and productivity. Despite the passage of Republic Act No. 11148 (Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act) in 2018, implementation of programs focused on the first 1,000 days remains limited and inconsistent across many local government units (LGUs).

Equally important is the next 1,000 days, from age 2 to 5. During these years, children learn language, develop social skills, and prepare for formal education. If their nutritional and developmental needs are not met, the early gains made in infancy can be lost, resulting in poor school readiness, low academic performance, and limited earning potential later in life.

Taken together, the first 2,000 days have lifelong consequences for health, education, and economic productivity. Investing in both periods is essential to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and malnutrition.

The current situation. A 2024 Unicef report showed that 18 percent or about 2 million Filipino children are severely food poor, relying mostly on breast milk and starchy staples like rice or corn. Fewer than 10 percent eat fruits and vegetables and consume protein-rich foods contributing to widespread stunting.

Currently, 26.7 percent of children under 5 are stunted, impacting not only their physical growth but also brain development and future learning capacity. Left unaddressed, these early deficits can lead to lifelong disadvantages and reduced productivity. Malnutrition already costs the country over $1.3 billion annually in lost productivity, increased health-care expenses, and reduced educational outcomes.

Global lessons. Countries like Peru and Thailand have made significant strides in reducing malnutrition and stunting by focusing on integrated programs that support both the first and second 1,000 days. For example, Peru’s Juntos program has successfully reduced chronic malnutrition among children under 5 from 28 percent in 2005 to 11.7 percent in 2022 through conditional cash transfers and increased access to health services. Thailand’s improved antenatal care, expanded health coverage, and strengthened local nutrition programs have similarly led to significant reductions in stunting. These global lessons offer valuable insights for the Philippines.

To address the challenges, we recommend the following:

Fully implement RA 11148 nationwide. Ensure that LGUs have the capacity and accountability to deliver nutrition services from pregnancy through age 2. The Department of Health (DOH) should intensify technical assistance and deploy mobile health teams especially in isolated areas.

Expand and reform the supplementary feeding program to include all vulnerable 2- to 5-year-olds, not just those in government daycare centers. Meals should meet the new minimum dietary diversity standards developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization and Unicef.

Allocate more funds by prioritizing early nutrition and education. Modest reallocations within existing budgets, such as those of the Department of Education (DepEd), the DOH, and state universities and colleges, can significantly enhance programs supporting the first 2,000 days. DepEd Secretary Edgardo Angara has noted that around P31,000 per year is needed to support each child during the first 1,000 days. Extending this investment across the full 2,000 days will help preserve early gains and better prepared children for lifelong success.

Allocating the annual budget to support the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program helps incentivize mothers to bring their children to rural health centers for regular checkups. Similarly, it is also crucial to improve the quality of our health infrastructure. Another approach is to incentivize LGUs by offering a counterpart scheme. For example, for every P1 spent locally, the national government contributes P2.

Expand access to early childhood education to support cognitive, emotional, and social development during a child’s most critical years. In Thailand, the integration of the National Early Childhood Development Act in 2019 led to improved school participation and literacy.

Public-private partnerships and community-led nutrition. Engage private companies and NGOs to help scale up nutrition education, school-based feeding, and early childhood care. Community-based approaches like nutrition gardens, parenting sessions, and home-based feeding can close last-mile delivery gaps.

The first 2,000 days of a child’s life offer a one-time opportunity to build a strong foundation for health, learning, and lifelong success. By investing in better nutrition and early education, especially through well-funded, community-driven, and locally supported programs, the Philippines can break the cycle of malnutrition and unlock the full potential of our future generations.

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Gary B. Teves had served as finance secretary under the Arroyo administration.