PHO to roll out feeding program for children, pregnant women

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Health Office (PHO) will implement, for the first time, its own provincewide feeding program that aims to further reduce malnutrition, targeting at least 160,000 children aged six to 23 months and 125,000 pregnant women across the province.

The initiative, which aligns with Governor Pamela Baricuatro's health-focused agenda, comes as the province continues to post steady improvements in child nutrition indicators over the past four years.

Unlike previous years when feeding activities were initiated and funded by local government units (LGUs), the PHO will now directly implement the nutrition intervention.

"This is the first time na mag-feeding program ta sa kato nga mga beneficiaries," Provincial Health Officer Dr. Sheila Faciol said.

Faciol said beneficiaries have already been identified based on reports submitted by LGUs through their respective Rural Health Units (RHUs), with the selection anchored on the government's Operation Timbang nutrition assessment.

"Naa man tay report from our LGUs so from there diha ta mokuha sa mga beneficiaries," she said.

Children enrolled in the program will receive ready-to-eat nutritious food packs, including rice monggo meals, nutribun, and chicken macaroni soup, for 120 days.

The feeding component for children has been allocated P6.4 million and is expected to benefit around 160,000 infants and toddlers aged six to 23 months.

Meanwhile, about 125,000 pregnant women will receive milk supplementation for 90 days under a separate P6.25-million allocation.

Faciol said procurement for the food supplies is still underway, although preparations have already started since the PHO has completed the list of beneficiaries based on reports from the RHUs.

"We are looking into starting pa ani kay this needs to be procured pa. Pero we already have the report from RHUs. We based it on their Operation Timbang," she said.

The provincial health chief said the inclusion of pregnant women recognizes the importance of proper maternal nutrition in preventing undernutrition among newborns.

"Actually maong naa tay pregnant women pud because sugdan sa pregnancy kay kung dili maayo ang nutrition sa mother, inig gawas sa baby kay undernourished," Faciol explained.

She added that the program complements the administration's priority on preventive healthcare, saying, "Helpful jud siya because nutrition man siya and it aligns with thrust ni Governor."

The feeding program will be implemented amid improving nutrition figures in the province. Based on PHO’s 2025 data, underweight prevalence among children aged 0 to 59 months declined to 3.11 percent or 8,672 cases, while stunting dropped to 7.39 percent or 20,659 children.

Cases of wasting likewise decreased to 1.13 percent or 3,142 children, while overweight and obesity fell to 2.11 percent or 5,910 children. The province's total population of children aged 0 to 59 months stands at 372,727.

The PHO’s four-year malnutrition status report also showed a consistent downward trend in all major nutrition indicators from 2022 to 2025.

Underweight cases fell from 11,222 children in 2022, stunting declined from 28,596, wasting dropped from 6,527, while overweight and obesity cases went down from 9,751 during the same period.

Faciol expressed optimism that the province's first PHO-led feeding program, coupled with existing nutrition interventions, will help sustain the decline in malnutrition and further improve the nutritional status of Cebuano children in the next few years. –  MRM (CEBU NEWS)