Abalos cites Mandaluyong’s success in linking nutrition to education
BEST IN NUTRITION: Mandaluyong, during the term of Benhur Abalos, was recognized as the country’s best in nutrition.
Former award-winning Mandaluyong City mayor and now senatorial candidate Benhur Abalos Jr. said the country cannot fix its broken education system without first addressing the serious problem of child malnutrition.
Abalos cited the Philippines’ poor performance in international learning assessments as a symptom of a deeper issue. “We always perform poorly in the PISA tests—whether in Math or English,” he said, referring to the Programme for International Student Assessment. “But we’re asking the wrong question. We keep looking for better teachers or more computers. But no one’s looking at what’s happening to the brain of the child before they even enter school.”
He said stunting — caused by chronic undernutrition during the first 1,000 days of life — permanently damages brain development. “Stunting shrinks the brain. Fewer synapses, fewer neural connections. It’s irreversible. You can feed them well later, send them to school, give them computers — but it won’t fix a brain that’s already been damaged during the critical first 1,000 days.”
Benhur Abalos bats for the First 1,000 Days as key to addressing child malnutrition and improving education.
Government and international data back up his concern. The Global Nutrition Report says 28.8 percent of Filipino children under five are stunted—well above the Asian regional average of 21.8 percent. UNICEF reports that in some parts of the country, like the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the stunting rate reaches nearly 40 percent.
“We’ve had brilliant education secretaries — Secretary (Leonor) Briones, Brother Armin Luistro. But no one looked seriously at nutrition,” he said.
He recalled his experience as mayor of Mandaluyong City, where the local government implemented a comprehensive maternal and child nutrition program more than two decades ago. “We didn’t just focus on schools. We started with the mothers. Every pregnant woman received rations—nutritional supplements, folic acid. We promoted breastfeeding. We intervened early,” he said.
The results were measurable, he claimed. “When we became number one in nutrition nationwide, we made sure the education system matched it. Then we topped the National Achievement Test. We had the healthiest and smartest high school students in the country,” he said.
Abalos’ initiative earned the city multiple national awards. From 2011 to 2013, Mandaluyong received the Green Banner Award for outstanding nutrition program performance in Metro Manila, besting 16 other local governments. This achievement earned the city the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) Award. After maintaining this level for another three years, Mandaluyong was conferred the prestigious Nutrition Honor Award (NHA) in 2016, the highest recognition for citywide nutrition management and sustained improvements in public health.
Abalos said that attempts to reform education would fail unless nutrition is treated as a core component of the strategy. “This isn’t just about hiring teachers or building schools. If we don’t address malnutrition, we’re setting our children up for failure. The damage begins before a child even opens a textbook,” he said.
“This is no longer a local problem. This is a national emergency. We need to act now, because the brains we save today are the future of our country,” he said.
ONE CEBU: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia endorse senatorial candidate Benhur Abalos.
