Category: Business Mirror

Leading mass housing developer 8990 has and always remained true to its core of being a socialized and economic housing developer.

After it transitioned to private ownership, 8990 Holdings president and CEO Anthony Vincent S. Sotto told the BusinessMirror in an email interview that the company is ‘committed more than ever’ to delivering houses through the 4PH program with the following new projects launched this year: Deca Homes Cabanatuan with 6,366 units, Urban Deca Homes Marilao Bulacan with 1,254 units, Deca Homes Granada, Bacolod City with 5,384 units, and in the Davao area at Deca Homes Mulig 2, Panabo and Tagum, with a combined inventory of 3,933.

‘We are going above and beyond our commitments to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling in 2025, where we committed over 9,000 units of 4PH housing over a span of 3 years,’ said Sotto.

Although the company is no longer subject to the same pressures and expectations from public-market investors, Sotto thinks there is more pressure in a sense that 8990 is committed to the Filipino people in this socialized segment to deliver not only houses but places where their lives and dreams are built. ‘Our customers are Filipinos who have devoted much of their savings or income in acquiring primarily to live in [as opposed to investing in]. The pressure to make them satisfied is definitely as high as when we were still a listed company. In that aspect not much has changed,’ he explained.

With the company no longer in a position to tap the public equity market in the same way as a listed company, Sotto said the company is well situated especially, so now that it is addressing a serious gap in housing in this underserved market. Sotto expressed bullishness in the affordable segment as it has proven resilient as evidenced during the pandemic, and more so now that the market has opened up to more and more socialized and economic housing projects. ‘Our strong partnership with PagIBIG Fund as well as our partner banks have allowed us the flexibility to easily adjust our cash flow allowing us to maintain our expansion in key provinces nationwide. The timeliness of the government’s pivot of expanding the 4PH program to horizontal housing and PagIBIG Fund’s role as the government’s financing arm in its 4PH program as main factors for us to easily transition from being a publicly listed company to delisting,’ Sotto explained.

8990 Holdings Inc. has already been delisted from the Philippine Stock Exchange, effective October 31, 2025. The delisting was the result of a voluntary tender offer designed to take the company private.

The more interesting story is what happens to 8990 as a private housing platform.

The transaction effectively removes the company from the pressures and constraints of being a publicly traded developer. As a private company, 8990 can potentially pursue a longer-term strategy involving:

larger-scale land acquisition and development;

restructuring or consolidating its housing businesses;

greater flexibility in capital allocation;

potentially taking on projects with longer investment horizons;

restructuring its portfolio without having to respond to short-term movements in the share price; and

allowing the controlling shareholders to exercise greater strategic control over the company’s future.

This is particularly relevant because 8990’s business is capital-intensive and highly dependent on land, financing, housing demand, interest rates and government housing programs.

According to an online report, 8990 HDC is continuing to invest in operational expansion and infrastructure. In April/May 2026, for example, 8990 HDC strengthened its partnership with VITRO, the PLDT Group’s data-center arm, expanding its business-continuity and disaster-recovery infrastructure. The company said its systems support sales offices nationwide and are intended to support its continued expansion.

THE Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) announced recently it is implementing another round of moratorium on monthly amortization payments. Effective until September 28, the moratorium will provide temporary financial relief to affected families as they recover from the impact of the severe weather, read a statement the state-run firm issued last week. It is expected to benefit more than 54,000 member-beneficiaries from over 400 community associations in the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bataan, and Tarlac. The measure is equivalent to more than P23.4 million in housing assistance, read the statement.

Pagcor’s role highlighted at confab

AN official of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) underscored the role of the regulator in supporting the country’s tourism, healthcare and wellness sectors during the ‘Health and Wellness Conference and Expo 2026’ on September 4, a Pagcor statement read. Speaking on behalf of Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco, Pagcor Health Services and Wellness Department Officer-in-Charge Dr. Janice A. Saraza said the ‘industry that we regulate is part of a much larger entertainment and tourism ecosystem.’ ‘Our licensed integrated resorts, for one, attract visitors, create employment, support businesses and generate significant economic activity,’ Saraza added. She said revenues generated by Pagcor help fund government programs and projects in key sectors.

LandBank cites employee volunteerism

EMPLOYEES of the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) conducted simultaneous tree-planting activities in Laguna, Cagayan, and Zamboanga del Sur on August 15, under the bank’s volunteering program, read the statement the lender issued nearly a month later. In celebration of its 63rd anniversary, Landbank mobilized employees nationwide for a series of corporate social responsibility activities throughout August, the statement read. According to the Landbank, around 4,000 of its employees contributed their time, skills, and resources in different activities. Employees also raised P1.32 million in voluntary cash donations for selected communities and beneficiaries, the lender said.

Chinabank Savings, Globe Telecom unit ink deal

GLOBE Telecom Inc. announced last week it provided 215 Samsung tablets to field officers of China Bank Savings Inc. (CBS) after the thrift banking arm of China Banking Corp. paid for the ‘GPlan Biz’ product of the Ayala-led telecommunications company (telco). The mobile setup allows CBS field officers process non-collateral loans under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) automatic payroll deduction system, manage portfolios, and resolve customer queries in real time directly from school sites, read the statement issued by Globe Telecom. ‘Our field officers are an important link between Chinabank Savings and the education community,’ CBS President James Christian T. Dee was quoted in the statement as saying.

SARAH ABABA emerged from a day of shifting fortunes and swirling winds to seize a two-stroke lead with a gutsy 71 at the start of the ICTSI Summit Point Championship in Lipa City on Tuesday.

The reigning Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) Order of Merit champion overcame an unsettled start with two quick birdies, then held her nerve through a demanding stretch of rain-softened fairways and gusty conditions, stringing together a series of brave pars to finish as the unlikely leader at Summit Point Golf and Country Club.

‘In these conditions, you need to hit the fairway-especially since preferred lies are in effect-so you can attack the green and set up a good putt,’ said Ababa, who lost in a sudden-death playoff at Lakewood, placed fourth at Caliraya Springs and finished fifth at Pinewoods.

‘My driving has been extremely steady and my putting is solid,’ added the veteran shotmaker from Davao, who skipped the fourth leg at Pradera Verde and returned to the Tour with renewed hunger following the long break.

‘I don’t really expect to lead. I just want to enjoy my game, especially since I missed the Pradera Verde leg,’ said Ababa, who hopes to sustain the same steady form over the next two days and make a run at the championship of the P1-million event.

Harmie Constantino, runaway winner at Caliraya Springs, carded a 73 to share second after mixing two birdies with three bogeys-she had a chance to move into solo second but gave back a stroke with a bogey on the difficult finishing hole.

Tiffany Lee, a former winner at Splendido Taal, also ended with a 73 after an eventful round as she birdied her first two holes to take control but was quickly dragged back by a double bogey on the par-5 fifth and a bogey on the next.

Lee regained her composure with a string of pars and birdied No. 15 to return to even par, only to bogey the challenging 18th and slip into a share of second.

Gretchen Villacencio also finished at 73 after recovering from a rough start-she bogeyed her first two holes but battled back with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 before dropping another stroke on No. 15, turning in a 36-37 card.

Constantino, Lee and Villacencio played together in the first round.

Amateur Matet Salivio flashed her potential despite a three-bogey start through 12 holes as she rallied with a birdie-bogey-birdie finish from No. 15 to salvage a 74 and tie Apple Fudolin, who shot a 36-38, for fifth.

Chanelle Avaricio rebounded from a disastrous front-nine 40 with a birdie on No. 16 to save a 75 and stay within striking distance. She shared the spot with Yvon Bisera, Seoyun Kim and Monical Mandario.

Bisera birdied No. 2 but fell back with a bogey-bogey-double bogey slide from No. 5 and dropped another stroke on No. 10 before birdieing No. 17.

Mandario, meanwhile, managed just one birdie against four bogeys for a 37-38.

Kim, still seeking her breakthrough on the LPGT after a couple of runner-up finishes, made an early charge with two birdies against one bogey in her first six holes from the back nine. But the Korean could not sustain the momentum, dropping shots on Nos. 16 and 18 before producing the shot of her round on No. 5, where she made an eagle-3 to briefly join the lead at one-under.

Her charge unraveled on the closing stretch, however, as she double bogeyed the sixth and bogeyed the next two holes to finish with a 38-37.

Multi-titled Princess Superal also moved into early contention with a birdie on No. 15 after starting on No. 10. But she struggled to maintain her momentum, making three bogeys and a double bogey over her final 11 holes to slip to solo 11th with a 76.

With rain leaving the course wet and the wind repeatedly changing direction, however, Ababa’s two-shot cushion offers little comfort. Summit Point’s exposed layout continued to punish even the best-laid plans, making club selection, ball position and patience every bit as important as shotmaking.

Filipino dance crews pose with Sen. Bam Aquino and fellow senators after receiving copies of Senate Resolution No. 591, sponsored by Aquino, congratulating them for their medal-winning performances at the 2026 World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Phoenix, Arizona.

Femme MNL won the Megacrew title, HQ topped the Adult division, The Crew took silver in Megacrew, while Folk Jumpers and Sayawatha Jr. won bronze in the Adult and Junior divisions, respectively.

‘What matters most is how we respond to what we experience in life.’-Stephen R. Covey

IF one would sift through all the news and highlights of posts on social media, the following may end up to be the most written about or talked about issues on an international level:

Nepal flash floods

US-Iran maritime tensions

Russia-Ukraine war

Middle East violence

Rising global food prices

The energy shock and currency plunge

China, North Korea and Russia

Global bond market stress

Geo-economic fragmentation

On the domestic level, the counterpart list may include the following:

Hollywood Walk of Fame star for Lea Salonga

phenomenal rise and rise of Alex Eala

impeachment trial

flood control scandal

impact of the typhoons and habagat

‘devaluing peso’ vs the US dollar

‘legal issues’ of Vice President Sara Duterte

dangers confronting overseas Filipin workers in the Middle East

Barmm elections

The list may be longer depending on one’s take on developments. It seems like it is, indeed, a very chaotic world with uncertainties.

On the international concerns, Juan dela Cruz may just try to understand things but cannot do anything. He may not even mind the issues.

On the other domestic issues, if one would spare time to read the opinion columns, watch the talk shows, and the different posts on a number of electronic sites, nothing is wanting on analyses and offered solutions including expected end games on the issues. At times, it could be a pointing of fingers play. The stories may go on and on with many comments/critiques given.

There are, however, a couple of unusual good developments: the first is Alex Eala! She is now seeded at age 21; a first and the pride of the Filipino people.

And the second, Lea Salonga! Last September 4, Lea became the first Filipina honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: a tremendous tribute to the immense talent of Filipino artists in theater and film.

Still, we hope more good news will come! Aren’t we entitled to a better world to lift our spirits up?

Conchita L. Manabat is an incorporator and president of the Development Center for Finance, an incorporator and Trustee of San Carlos School of Cebu. Inc. and Trustee at the Coalition of Services for the Elderly. She is also an incorporator of and Lifetime Fellow at the Institute of Corporate Directors, a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Council of the International Federation for Ethics and Audit and chairperson of the Advisory Council of the International Association of Financial Executives Institutes. The views and opinions she expressed herein do not necessarily represent the BusinessMirror’s.

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara on Tuesday announced that the Philippines’ performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 showed significant gains across all three areas: reading, mathematics and science.

The Philippines recorded a mean score of 373 in science, 371 in mathematics and 367 in reading-up by 17 points, 16 points and 20 points, respectively, from the country’s 2022 results.

Angara, who presented the results during the national results launch at Caloocan City Science High School, said that this achievement mark a notable step forward in the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s efforts to improve learning outcomes.

More Filipino learners also reached Level 2 or higher, the baseline proficiency level measured by PISA.

The proportion increased from 23 percent to 32 percent in science, from 16 percent to 21 percent in mathematics, and from 24 percent to 31 percent in reading.

From its mean score, the Philippines outranked 14 participating countries in science, 16 countries in mathematics, and 18 countries in reading.

‘This is a significant achievement for our learners and for the entire Philippine education system …But more than the numbers, we are seeing evidence that our learners are capable of making real and meaningful progress,’ Angara said.

Angara said the results should encourage the country to build on the gains while keeping its focus on learners who continue to struggle.

‘We should be proud of how far our learners and teachers have come, but we should be even more determined about how much farther we can go,’ Angara said.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 10-year trend analysis also shows that the Philippines is the fastest improving country in terms of reading performance.

The OECD, likewise, identified the Philippines among countries with notable improvement in mathematics. In science, the Philippines recorded a positive long-term trend despite an overall decline in science performance globally.

‘My warmest congratulations to the teachers and school leaders of the Philippines because what you have achieved in this latest round of OECD’s PISA assessment is not just good news for the Philippines, it’s a story that deserves to be noticed far beyond your borders,’ OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher said.

Angara said the gains from the PISA results reflect the collective work being done across the education system-from teachers and school leaders to parents, local governments and other partners.

The PISA presentation also highlighted the role of school readiness, parents, local government units and private sector partners in the country’s performance, underscoring that improving education is a shared responsibility.

OECD Policy Analyst Rodrigo Castañeda Valle also provided perspectives on the Philippine results and global education trends. Despite the encouraging results, DepEd said the latest PISA performance also highlights the work that remains.

The Department’s next priorities include addressing equity, while sustaining reforms aimed at improving learning outcomes and supporting teachers and schools. DepEd will also continue working with education partners to promote the responsible use of digital technology and address challenges such as cyberbullying and its effects on learning.

Angara said the country’s improved PISA performance should be seen as a starting point for an even more ambitious push to improve learning for every Filipino child.

Government-backed loans for cooperatives reached P2.41 billion as of June, expanding financing support for agriculture, small businesses and electric cooperatives.

State-run credit guarantor Philippine Guarantee Corp. (PhilGuarantee) reported on Tuesday that it facilitated P2.41 billion in cumulative outstanding guaranteed loans for cooperatives, helping 24,386 beneficiaries.

The bulk of the financing went to cooperatives involved in rice production and other agricultural activities, which accounted for P1.76 billion in outstanding guaranteed loans from 2019 to June 2026 and aided 24,255 beneficiaries.

Guarantee support was also extended to cooperatives serving micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). From 2024 to June 2026, cooperatives supporting MSMEs accessed P28.48 million in cumulative outstanding guaranteed loans, benefiting 113 beneficiaries.

Furthermore, 18 electric cooperatives had availed themselves of financing under the Electric Cooperative Partial Credit Guarantee (ECPCG) Program as of June.

The program provides guarantee support to electric cooperatives in securing financing for their operations and other sustainable requirements. It had a cumulative outstanding guaranteed loan value of P622.60 million as of June, according to PhilGuarantee.

The agency said cooperatives remain an important part of its development financing efforts as it seeks to broaden access to credit for productive sectors of the economy.

Of its 206 partner lending institutions as of June, 46 were cooperatives, it said.

‘As a key partner in development financing, PhilGuarantee empowers cooperatives to expand their lending capacity and provide financing support to communities engaged in productive activities,’ it added.

PhilGuarantee provides credit guarantees in support of trade and investments, exports, infrastructure, energy, tourism, agricultural business, housing, small businesses and other priority sectors of the economy.

The first commercial internet cafes in Manila charged by the hour and kept a wall clock above the cashier. Teenagers watched the hands move while trying to stretch their pesos into one more round of Counter-Strike. Access was a privilege and supervised, not a birthright. The current talk of blocking Facebook for Filipinos under 16 wants that clock back.

Philippine authorities have raised the possibility of blocking Facebook nationwide to stop fake news, misinformation, and online abuse, with ‘saving democracy’ in one breath and ‘protecting the children’ in the next.

Facebook became the successor to Friendster and Myspace in 2004. Apparently it has taken more than 20 years to figure out the general corrosion that comes from giving a billion-dollar engagement machine direct access to a child’s brain. But fake news is not the big reveal about Facebook. The chief priests in Matthew paid the guards at Jesus’ tomb to spread a story they knew was false, that ‘his disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ The smartphone only spreads it faster.

Public harassment is older still. Genesis records Potiphar’s wife pressing unwanted sexual advances on Joseph and then falsely accusing him when he refused. What Facebook adds is that a billion people are reached at scroll speed.

Societies understand that alcohol is profitable, socially embedded, and therefore legal. However, we also understand that you do not carelessly hand a bottle of gin to a 14-year-old. Age is supposed to be checked not because the state is almighty, but because a line has been drawn. Even if teenagers still drink, the line exists and it shapes behavior. Social media is in a similar place being an addictive and mood-altering product engineered to keep the user consuming.

Manila’s own hesitation tells a story. Palace officials say there is ‘no FB ban now,’ and Meta is ‘cooperating,’ a generous word for a company still working out how to identify which of its users are minors in the first place. Meta agreed to pay as much as US$18 billion to settle claims brought by 29 American states, and to install curfews and daily caps for any account identified as belonging to someone 13 to 17 years old. The settlement gives Meta one year to figure out how to make that identification.

But nobody currently knows how to guarantee a high level of proof-of-age success. The company’s options are a government identification document, a mandatory selfie, or an algorithm that estimates age from browsing behavior, each one gathering more of the personal data the lawsuit settlement exists to protect. In October 2025, a breach at a third-party customer-service provider exposed the government IDs of 70,000 Discord users, which is what happens when the fix for one failure becomes raw material for the next.

Australia, Indonesia, Brazil, and Malaysia already enforce some nationwide restrictions on most social media accounts for minors. Australia bans outright, with proposed fines for noncompliant platforms up to A$99 million. Indonesia and Malaysia restrict under-16s from ‘high-risk’ platforms. Brazil requires accounts for anyone under 16 to be linked to a parent or guardian. The four countries with new regulations are having problems with enforcement.

Months after Australia barred anyone under 16 from holding a social media account, teenage usage rates of major social media apps has climbed back almost to where it was before the ban. Regulators and researchers point to lying about age, age checks that fail, and VPNs. The common thread is that verifying a stranger’s age from behind a login screen remains effectively unsolved. The private-sector Know-Your-Customer systems were built for banks and never designed as a population-scale social media age gate. Any rule Manila writes will be as leaky as the rest.

A Facebook ban will not fix the misinformation and online abuse problem. What it will do is hand the failure blame for a job Filipino parents, schools, and courts have been avoiding to an algorithm on a platform. Meta will sign whatever memorandum keeps the story off the front page and out of the courts. Its business model was built to maximize minutes watched, not minors protected, and no cooperation agreement rewrites that.

The wall clock above the cashier never needed a law behind it. It needed a parent walking through the door at nine, asking why a 12-year-old was still there. No law reaches into that house, and neither does an algorithm. Manila can legislate an age floor and call it protection. The clock only worked because somebody at home was watching it, and that job was never Meta’s to begin with, or the government’s today.

E-mail me at mangun@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter @mangunonmarkets. PSE stock-market information and technical analysis provided by AAA Southeast Equities Inc.

THE House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte has announced its intention to call Duterte herself as a witness after it finishes presenting evidence for all four Articles of Impeachment.

The move was disclosed by private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan during the 23rd day of the trial, signalling a major shift in the prosecution’s strategy as it seeks to place the Vice President’s own explanation at the center of the proceedings.

Kapunan clarified that the prosecution was not immediately requesting the Senate Impeachment Court to subpoena Duterte. Instead, the panel intends to complete its presentation of evidence first before deciding on the formal request for her appearance. She emphasized that Duterte’s testimony would be considered at the conclusion of the presentation of all impeachment articles.

‘At the end of all of these articles, we reserve the right to present the Vice President herself,’ Kapunan told the court.

The announcement came after discussions among public and private prosecutors regarding the direction of their case. Following their review, the prosecution decided to discontinue the presentation of the remaining witnesses originally planned for the article involving alleged misuse and misappropriation of confidential funds. The decision effectively shortened the prosecution’s planned witness presentation for that portion of the case.

Although no formal motion has been filed, defense lawyer Sheila Sison expressed opposition, invoking constitutional rights, after the prosecution expressed an intent to potentially call Duterte as a witness.

Sison quoted Section 17, Article 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, asserting that the respondent has a fundamental right against ‘testimonial compulsion’ or testifying against oneself.

She added that the prohibition against testimonial compulsion is designed to prevent the recurrence of oppressive practices.

10 of 27 witnesses

THE prosecution initially identified 27 witnesses for the confidential funds article. According to Kapunan, 10 witnesses had already appeared before the court, while agreements and stipulations involving two other witnesses made their personal appearances unnecessary. The remaining 15 witnesses, including those scheduled to testify on that hearing day, would no longer be presented.

‘After a long meeting last night and towards this morning, just before this hearing, the prosecution, both public and private prosecutors, have decided to… forego your honors, not only with the witnesses subpoenaed for today, but with all the remaining 15 witnesses,’ Kapunan said.

‘In lieu of presenting 15 other witnesses, we will be presenting the Vice President herself,’ Kapunan stated. However, she later clarified that this would not happen immediately and would only be considered after the prosecution completes the presentation of all four impeachment articles.

Among those affected by the decision were Police Maj. Jovelyn Magay, Sunshine Fajarda, and Bresilio Sabaldan, who had been scheduled to appear before the impeachment court. Kapunan confirmed that their testimonies would no longer be part of the prosecution’s presentation for the confidential funds allegations.

Explaining the change in strategy, Kapunan argued that the evidence already presented by witnesses and documents pointed towards the need to hear directly from Duterte. She stated that the testimonies and records introduced during the proceedings connected various issues under examination to the vice president, making her own response relevant to the case.

Kapunan used a chess analogy to describe the relationship between the witnesses and the subject of the allegations, comparing the different pieces of evidence to chess pieces that ultimately point towards one accountable individual. She also highlighted testimony from Land Bank of the Philippines witnesses, which the prosecution said established the existence and withdrawal of confidential funds.

Potential testimony

THE prosecution maintained that Duterte’s potential testimony would not be limited to the confidential funds allegations. Kapunan explained that her appearance could also be relevant to the other impeachment articles involving alleged grave threats, unexplained wealth, and bribery. These issues remain part of the broader accusations being considered by the impeachment court.

As the trial moves forward, the prosecution is preparing to present its case on unexplained wealth, which it expects to require more time compared with the bribery allegations. House lead prosecutor Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro explained that the prosecution’s pre-trial planning showed a larger number of witnesses and documentary evidence would be needed for the unexplained wealth article.

‘I think it is reflected in our pre-trial brief that the prosecution requested more trial days for the unexplained wealth case compared to the bribery case,’ Luistro said, explaining that additional evidence would be required for the Article II charges compared with the bribery allegations.

The unexplained wealth allegation focuses on claims that Duterte accumulated assets allegedly disproportionate to her declared income and failed to fully disclose certain financial interests in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. The prosecution plans to examine financial documents, including bank records, tax-related information, and other materials, as part of its presentation.

Luistro emphasized that the decision to present unexplained wealth ahead of bribery does not indicate that one article is stronger than another. ‘These are four equally strong articles of impeachment,’ she said, explaining that the order was adjusted based on witness availability and other practical considerations.

The Senate impeachment court also reminded the prosecution that it would not immediately consider Article I completely closed because additional witnesses could still be called if necessary. The court explained that it would determine whether further testimony would be required after reviewing the evidence presented by both sides.

The prosecution accepted the court’s guidance while maintaining its reservation to call Duterte and an amicus curiae who could assist the court regarding constitutional issues involving impeachment, public officers, and public accountability.

An expanded national nutrition program, with a more proactive approach to stunting, is on track to passage in the Senate after the plenary accepted amendments by Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, one of the chief advocates of the bill.

Provisions requiring earlier detection, regular monitoring, and targeted interventions for children at risk were among the amendments to Senate Bill No. 2272, or the Expanded National Nutrition Program Act, that were read at Monday’s Senate session following Cayetano’s interpellation of the measure in a previous plenary session.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian commended Cayetano for his advocacy against child stunting, while bill sponsor Senator Paulo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino thanked him for the proposed changes, saying the amendments were ‘really making this bill so much better.’

The amendments would explicitly recognize stunting as a critical national health and education concern, while common definitions of stunting, severe acute malnutrition, and other relevant nutrition terms, as well as a common measurement system will be adopted.

This would allow government agencies to work from the same standards when implementing interventions and setting targets and assessing outcomes.

The amendments would also establish a National Anti-Stunting Action Plan, with areas facing high stunting and food insecurity prioritized for technical and financial assistance.

A Nutrition and Growth Monitoring Program would likewise regularly track children’s weight, height or length and other nutrition indicators.

Local Government Units would play a central role in implementing the measure with Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars and other trained personnel would identify children who are undernourished, stunted or at risk and ensure their referral, intervention and follow-up.

The proposal also reflects Cayetano’s push to build on Taguig City’s integrated nutrition, health monitoring and physical activity practices.

Schools would likewise conduct regular height and weight measurements and nutrition assessments of school-age children.

The proposal puts particular focus on the first 1,000 days of life, from conception through the first 24 months, and provides specific interventions for children who are stunted or at risk, including feeding support, complementary food, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, and Vitamin A and zinc supplementation.

The senator had earlier sought a shift from simply measuring the prevalence of stunting to identifying the specific children who need help.

He also urged lawmakers to make the bill specific on interventions that can already be implemented.

‘When we cannot be specific, let’s be general. Anything that we cannot specify, we’ll talk about it in general. But anything that we can specify, [let’s work on it] to ensure the success of this bill,’ he said.