SENATOR Bam Aquino has expressed support for Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s long-running campaign against child stunting, saying that addressing malnutrition is crucial to solving the country’s education crisis.

Aquino emphasized that poor nutrition remains one of the root causes of weak learning outcomes among Filipino children.

“Hindi po natin malulutas ang krisis sa edukasyon kung hindi po natin tututukan ang isa sa mga ugat nito: ang kakulangan sa nutrisyon,” Aquino said.

The proposed measure seeks to combat malnutrition and stunting through nutrition interventions from pregnancy through high school. Among its key provisions are feeding programs for kindergarten to Grade 3 learners, the creation of a universal health record to monitor child growth, and the direct procurement of food supplies from local farmers and fisherfolk.

Aquino’s remarks echoed concerns repeatedly raised by Cayetano over the past two years.

Cayetano has consistently argued that child stunting not only harms a child’s health but also contributes to poor academic performance and limits long-term economic productivity.

During deliberations on the 2025 national budget in November 2024, Cayetano stressed that stunting leads to irreversible consequences, including impaired brain development, weakened immunity, and reduced learning capacity.

“Kung y’ung bata ay stunted, gaano man kaganda ang housing project mo, livelihood projects, or whatever, hindi ito makakapagbigay ng returns kasi once na stunted na, limited na ’yong interventions na puwede,” Cayetano said at the time.

He also questioned the effectiveness of government spending if a significant portion of the population continues to be affected by stunting.

Cayetano first brought national attention to the issue during a quarterly meeting of the Second Congressional Commission on Education in September 2023, following discussions with Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who underscored the high returns of investing in anti-stunting programs.

According to Cayetano, Shanmugaratnam described anti-stunting interventions as among the most cost-effective public investments governments can make.

Since then, Cayetano has pushed for a nationwide, multi-agency anti-stunting program focused on ensuring proper nutrition during a child’s first 1,000 days of life. He has also advocated for the establishment of health centers in every barangay, particularly in areas with high stunting rates such as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In July 2025, Cayetano filed a measure proposing the creation of an Anti-Stunting Action Plan Council tasked with developing and implementing a whole-of-government strategy to prevent and reduce child stunting nationwide.

While the 2026 national budget included funding for first 1,000 days-related cash grants under the government’s 4Ps program, it did not provide the comprehensive anti-stunting initiative that Cayetano had sought.

Aquino, meanwhile, cited data highlighting the scale of the challenge.

“Currently, 26.7 percent of Filipino children under five years old are stunted. Ibig sabihin po isa sa bawat apat na kabataan ay hindi naaabot ang kanilang tunay na potensyal,” he said.