SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian expressed strong support for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s  efforts to enhance maternal, child care, and nutrition programs, describing them as essential for improving learning outcomes.

“I support BARMM’s commitment to these programs. By working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the region can further strengthen its efforts to build a better foundation for learners,” said Gatchalian.

He emphasized that early childhood care and development are crucial to ensure that children in BARMM are not left behind in terms of education and health.

“Moving forward, we must give BARMM the support it needs in funding and capacity-building to effectively deliver these programs,” he added.

BARMM has been implementing initiatives to reduce malnutrition and improve maternal and child health, in collaboration with development partners like JICA. These efforts support national goals of reducing intergenerational poverty and promoting inclusive education.

Gatchalian, a long-time advocate of education reform, reiterated the need for targeted interventions in underserved regions like BARMM to break the cycle of poor health, malnutrition, and low academic performance.