SENATOR Camille Villar has filed a measure seeking to institutionalize a comprehensive national program to prevent childhood stunting through improved maternal and child nutrition.

Senate Bill No. 2374 proposes the establishment of a nationwide program to address stunting, which remains a major public health and child development concern in the Philippines.

In her explanatory note, Villar emphasized that stunting is not merely a matter of a child’s height but a consequence of chronic undernutrition during the earliest and most critical stages of life.

She warned that the condition can result in irreversible damage to brain development, learning capacity, physical growth, immune function, and future productivity.

The proposed measure underscores the importance of investing in proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life, covering the period from pregnancy until a child’s second birthday.

It also seeks to strengthen community-based nutrition services, improve the implementation of nutrition programs at the local level, ensure regular monitoring of children’s growth, and promote preventive health care.

Villar stressed that addressing childhood stunting requires sustained government intervention and stronger coordination in delivering essential nutrition services to mothers and young children.

She said investing in early childhood nutrition would help raise healthier children, develop a more productive workforce, and build a stronger foundation for the country’s long-term development.