CEBU, Philippines — As the Cebu Provincial Board prepares to transition to a new set of officials, the outgoing 16th Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) is set to conclude its final regular session tomorrow, Monday, June 23, ending a legislative term marked by key measures, including the passage of a landmark ordinance to combat child stunting and malnutrition.
The final session will be held at the Capitol’s Social Hall, instead of the usual Legislative Building, to allow time for valedictory addresses from outgoing members.
Formal attire or Barong Tagalog is expected of attendees to reflect the solemnity of the event.
“The last session will primarily be the valedictory addresses of the outgoing board members,” said outgoing 6th District Board Member Glenn Anthony Soco, who is also the incoming vice governor and presiding officer of the 17th SP.
Among those expected to deliver farewell messages will be Vice Governor Hilario Davide III; Atty. Raul Bacaltos and Kathleen Daan of the 1st District; John Ismael Borgonia and Victoria Corominas-Toribio of the 3rd District; Thadeo Jovito Ouano of the 6th District; Minuel Carmela Franco of the 4th district; and Jerome Christian Librando of the 7th district.
The 16th SP was headed by Davide and included elected members from Cebu’s seven districts, as well as ex-officio members Nick Pepito (Councilors League), Celestino Martinez III (Liga ng mga Barangay), and Loren Singco (SK Federation).
Invitations to witness the session were extended to the newly elected provincial board members through the SP secretary.
The incoming 17th SP will feature a mix of new and returning officials: Jojo Bacaltos and Reluya Lakambini for the 1st District; Stanley Caminero and Raymond Calderon for the 2nd District; and Oloy Corominas and Lorenz Lagon for the 3rd district.
Other members include Nelson Mondigo and Kerrie Shimura for the 4th district; Andrei Duterte and Mike Villamor for the 5th district; Larenz Lagon and Alfie Ouano for the 6th district; and Cesar Baricuatro and Lingling Rozgoni for the 7th.
Mandaue City’s lone district will also be represented for the first time by Malcolm Sanchez and Olin Seno.
Soco emphasized the board’s role in exercising fiscal oversight, particularly through annual budget reviews. He also noted that many questioned programs—especially in tourism and livelihood—have legal basis in past SP ordinances.
Early childhood care and development
Meanwhile, one of the outgoing SP’s final acts was the recent approval on third and final reading of a groundbreaking measure focused on early childhood care and development, authored by Board Member Victoria G. Corominas-Toribio.
Titled the Integrated First 1000 Days in Early Childhood Care and Development Ordinance in Cebu, it aims to combat child malnutrition and stunting by providing essential health, nutrition, and sanitation programs during a child’s critical development window—from pregnancy until age 2.
Once approved by outgoing Governor Gwen Garcia, it institutionalizes evidence-based, nutrition-specific and -sensitive interventions across four key phases: pregnancy, postpartum (birth to 6 months), infancy (6 to 12 months), and toddlerhood (12 to 24 months).
Under the said measure, expectant mothers will receive antenatal care during pregnancy. This also includes the next 180 days for follow-up visits, lactation support, and nutrition counseling.
From birth to six months, facilities must implement baby-friendly practices and provide newborn care. For the final phase (6–24 months), age-appropriate feeding and regular growth monitoring will be rolled out.
The measure also mandates improvements in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) systems and introduces responsive parenting and early stimulation programs integrated into local government unit (LGU) services such as pre-marriage counseling and mothers’ classes.
All LGUs in Cebu Province are required to allocate at least one percent of their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) to support the ordinance's implementation, while barangays must earmark at least 0.5 percent of their annual or supplemental budgets.
It also requires LGUs to appoint a Municipal Nutrition Action Officer, and barangays to designate a Barangay Nutrition Scholar. These frontline workers are entitled to benefits under the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers.
Monitoring of implementation will be done through quarterly evaluations and local health data tracking.
The measure cites constitutional and legal frameworks, including Section 15, Article 2, of the 1987 Constitution, the Local Government Code (RA 7160), the Early Years Act (RA 10410), the Sanitation Code (PD 856), and international commitments such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 6.
Implementation rules and regulations are expected to be formulated within six months of enactment. — Reynan Monleon CNU Journalism Intern (FREEMAN)