Photo courtesy of Philippine News Agency.
Pangasinan emerged as the province with the lowest stunting rate nationwide at 1.95 percent, based on the latest Operation Timbang Plus results released by the Department of Health (DOH) in the Ilocos Region.
The health department said Thursday that the figure indicates that a large majority of children in the province are growing normally and are not suffering from chronic malnutrition.
Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco described the outcome as a significant achievement for both Pangasinan and the Ilocos Region, pointing to sustained efforts in improving child nutrition.
She said the result reflected strong local leadership, active community involvement, and the steady implementation of nutrition programs across the province.
Stunting, which results from prolonged inadequate nutrition, can affect a child’s physical growth and mental development and has long been a concern in the country.
The Operation Timbang Plus program, a flagship initiative of the Department of Health, regularly measures the height and weight of children aged zero to five to identify those at risk and provide early intervention.
Sydiongco said grassroots health workers and local government units played a key role in strengthening nutrition programs, adding that the gains were built over years of coordinated efforts by communities, families, and health personnel.
Other provinces with low stunting rates included Capiz at 2.01 percent, Agusan del Norte at 2.66 percent, Sarangani at 2.75 percent, Misamis Oriental at 2.86 percent, Ilocos Sur at 2.95 percent, South Cotabato at 2.95 percent, Laguna at 3.06 percent, Cotabato at 3.28 percent, and La Union at 3.38 percent, as officials aim to sustain progress and further reduce malnutrition.
