In the Happy City of Isabela de Basilan, the local government is making family planning more accessible, ensuring families can make informed decisions for a better future. The City Population Management and Development Office, under City Population Officer Jesielyn Puno, has been conducting Family Development Sessions using the Usapan Module Series and Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning (RPFP) approach.

Despite the challenges of rough roads and cultural hesitations about reproductive health and family planning, the team has reached the far-flung barangays of Diki, Masula, Tabiawan, Maligue, and Kapayawan from January 16 to 30, 2025. Many women in these areas had limited knowledge about birth spacing due to misconceptions and misinformation. 

These discussions, called Usapang Maginoo, Usapang Kontento Na, and Usapang Pwede Pa, along with RPFP, have helped parents and relatives understand family planning and responsible parenthood better.

The city government holds these sessions every month, aiming to increase the number of family planning acceptors or modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) beyond the national standard of 30% and reduce unplanned pregnancies, especially among adolescents. With continued efforts and partnerships with the Zuellig Family Foundation and The Challenge Initiative, Isabela de Basilan is steadily improving its family planning programs as part of its broader efforts towards achieving Universal Health Care.

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The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) conducted its reorientation session for the Bayang Malusog Community of Practice (CoP), a Universal Health Care (UHC) learning exchange community, on February 10, 2025. The two sessions served as an opportunity to reflect on the CoP’s progress over the past year and introduce key improvements to its implementation moving forward with attendees from partner local government units, Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health Development offices in Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, CALABARZON, and Eastern Visayas.

Since its pilot launch, the CoP has been instrumental in fostering knowledge-sharing and collaboration among health leaders. The CoP members, through onsite and online learning sessions, participated in discussions about their provincial UHC vision, lessons learned, challenges, and best practices. They also gained insights from experts on critical UHC topics such as health financing and health information systems.

ZFF remains committed to sustaining the learning platform for its partners, ensuring continued knowledge-sharing and capacity-building efforts. To enhance its effectiveness, key improvements have been introduced. Originally with  nine cohort areas, the CoP now welcomes all interested and engaged partners, including both current and graduates of the ZFF Local Health Systems (LHS) portfolio programs. Unlike the dynamic membership model from the pilot phase, identified members will now remain consistent throughout the program’s implementation. Learning sessions, discussions, and best practices will be systematically recorded and shared to benefit a wider audience.

CoP remains a voluntary initiative designed to empower health leaders and practitioners through peer learning and expert guidance on UHC. With these enhancements, the Bayang Malusog Community of Practice is set to become a more structured, engaged, and impactful platform for UHC implementation in the country. 

The next onsite learning session is scheduled for March 2025. ZFF looks forward to another productive year of learning, sharing, and innovating towards better health outcomes for all.

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• Insights from the 2024 Bayang Malusog Community of Practice Sessions
• Connecting the Dots: Overcoming Health Information System Challenges in Achieving Universal Health Care
• Navigating Health Financing Challenges with Bayang Malusog: Insights from Quezon and Aklan

 

The Bayang Malusog Community of Practice (CoP) has proven to be an essential platform for collaboration and shared learning in advancing Universal Health Care (UHC) implementation in the Philippines. Over the past year, three CoP sessions have gathered health leaders, provincial health officers, and key stakeholders from various regions to discuss challenges, share good practices, and explore innovative solutions for health governance.

As the new year begins, the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) is set to launch another round of CoP sessions starting February 10, 2025. These sessions will build on the insights gained in 2024 and further strengthen health leadership and governance.

Key Insights from the 2024 Sessions

1. Collective Learning for Health Systems Strengthening

The inaugural CoP session in April 2024 focused on fostering a culture of learning and collaboration among local health leaders. Participants from Aklan, Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Biliran, La Union, Laguna, Northern Samar, and Quezon shared their experiences in implementing UHC. The introduction of the Bayang Malusog Exchange (BMEx) platform at https://healthinnovex.org further enhanced these efforts by providing an online space for health leaders to connect and exchange best practices.

2. Addressing Health Financing Challenges

The second CoP session in July 2024 highlighted financial sustainability as a key aspect of UHC implementation. Quezon Province shared how they integrated financial management into their Primary Care Provider Network (PCPN), while Aklan detailed their approach to establishing District Health Systems to improve fund allocation. Despite challenges such as system downtimes and limited IT infrastructure, both provinces demonstrated how strategic governance and collaboration with local government units can enhance health financing mechanisms.

3. Strengthening Health Information Systems

The third CoP session in September 2024 focused on the role of integrated health information systems (iHIS) in achieving UHC. Participants discussed the difficulties of non-interoperable systems, inconsistent internet access, and the need for IT capacity-building at the local level. Solutions proposed included increasing investments in IT infrastructure, training health personnel in digital tools, and ensuring seamless data sharing between hospitals, rural health units, and government agencies.

Bayang Malusog CoP 2025

With the success of the 2024 sessions, the upcoming 2025 CoP will further deepen discussions on health governance, financing, and digital transformation. ZFF remains committed to championing health together with its partners, ensuring that every Filipino has access to quality healthcare. 

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• Championing Health Together: Zuellig Family Foundation Launches Bayang Malusog Community of Practice
• Navigating Health Financing Challenges with Bayang Malusog: Insights from Quezon and Aklan
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Adolescent pregnancy remains a challenge in the Philippines, affecting young people’s health, education, and future opportunities. 

To address this, the Joint Program on Accelerating the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy (JPARAP) was launched in Southern Leyte and Samar in 2023. This multi-year initiative, running from 2022 to 2026, brings together the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services, enhance adolescent awareness, and strengthen governance for youth health programs.

JPARAP is supported primarily by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), with additional funding from the Philippine government and UN agencies. The program aims to equip health workers, teachers, and peer educators with essential knowledge and resources while making health facilities more adolescent-friendly and ensuring mobile health services reach those in need.

To further this effort, the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), in partnership with UNFPA, launched the Expanded Youth Leadership and Governance Program (EYLGP), as part of JPARAP. EYLGP is a 24-month capability development program aimed at accelerating the reduction of adolescent pregnancy in the provinces of Samar and Southern Leyte. It consists of two training modules and practicum phases that equip trained local leaders with the skills to address adolescent pregnancy through multi-level and multi-stakeholder interventions in improving their Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH) systems. Participants receive coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance from coaches, mentors, and experts from government agencies, including the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom). 

EYLGP began implementation at the provincial, municipal, and barangay levels in 2023. At the municipal level, mayors were identified as key system drivers and trained alongside their guiding coalitions, using the Municipal Roadmap for Adolescent Pregnancy Reduction (APR) as a technical guide. The first Municipal EYLGP (MEYLGP) module was rolled out in 20 municipalities across Southern Leyte and Samar. Trained leaders included municipal mayors and members of their guiding coalitions, comprising representatives from the Sanggunian Kabataan (SK), health, social services, population and development and education sectors. As part of the training, action plans were developed and implemented during the first practicum phase.

EYLGP aligns with JPARAP’s goal of enhancing governance for AYSRH. Through this effort, JPARAP aims to reach 360 local chief executives (mayors), government, and community leaders from 20 local government units, 100 youth leaders, and 3,000 adolescents.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but with the commitment of local leaders and communities, change is happening. With continued support, reducing adolescent pregnancy and ensuring a better future for Filipino youth is within reach.

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Stunting is a serious health issue that affects millions of children worldwide. In the Philippines, 1 out of 4 children are stunted. This occurs when a child does not receive proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life (F1KD), leading to poor growth, delayed development, and long-term health problems. Stunted children are more vulnerable to infections, struggle in school, and face economic disadvantages later in life. 

Comparing the country to its Southeast Asian neighbors, the Philippines ranks among the top five with the highest stunting rates. Given this urgent reality, the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) has taken action through its Family Stunting Reduction (FaStR) Program, a family-centered initiative aimed at improving health and nutrition practices among F1KD Families to combat stunting and promote overall well-being.

How FaStR Works

FaStR is a family-focused approach that gives parents and caregivers the tools and knowledge they need to keep their children healthy. It has four key components:

1. Educating Families on Health and Nutrition – Parents learn about essential health topics like prenatal care, exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, immunization, and hygiene. They also receive guidance on accessing health services regularly.
2. Adopting Family Nutrition Tools – Families are trained to use simple but effective tools like the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) tape to check for malnutrition in children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers. The FaStR Chart helps them track their child’s growth and development.
3. Strengthening Family Food Security – Families are connected to local programs that can help them access nutritious food, ensuring children get the right nutrients at the right time.
4. Tracking F1KD Families – Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) monitor families with young children to ensure they consistently receive health and nutrition services.

By focusing on families, FaStR makes sure that health interventions reach those who need them most. The program is also built on strong community support, with BHWs and BNSs educating and assisting families.

Where FaStR Is Making a Difference

The program is being piloted in six municipalities: Tarangnan and Pagsanghan in Samar, Bobon and Gamay in Northern Samar, and Tipo-Tipo and Sumisip in Basilan. In these areas, trained facilitators—BHWs and BNSs—are guiding families using the FaStR Family Module.

By focusing on education, nutrition tools, food security, and continuous monitoring, the program is helping families build a foundation for better health. With each household reached, FaStR is making sure that every child has a chance to grow up healthy and thrive.

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In La Trinidad, Benguet, the Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) has been quietly transforming lives since 1993. This private, non-profit institution offers programs from basic education to graduate school, including a College of Law. Its flagship programs in entrepreneurship, midwifery, and criminology have long served the Cordillera region. But recently, its partnership with the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) has added another dimension to its mission: health leadership.

A Partnership Rooted in Bridging Leadership

CCDC’s journey with ZFF began in 2016 with the Bridging Leadership Program. “We were introduced through a collaboration with other bridging leaders,” shared Dr. Sherry Junette Tagle, CCDC’s President. This initial effort involved integrating Bridging Leadership into CCDC’s Master in Public Administration program, laying the foundation for further collaboration.

By 2022, formal talks with ZFF led to a Memorandum of Agreement in March 2023. Since then, CCDC has actively participated in numerous capacity-building initiatives, including leadership and mentoring programs tailored for educators and local government officials.

“We’ve engaged in about 10 capability-building sessions in just one year,” Tagle said. “These programs prepared us to embrace Bridging Leadership before we shared it with municipal health leadership teams.”

Empowering Leaders Through Health Programs

One of the standout projects under the partnership was the Municipal Leadership Development Program (MLDP) conducted in 2023. The program included training and mentoring for local government units (LGUs) and municipal health officers.

“At first, we doubted our ability to coach experts,” admitted Abigail Bersamin, CCDC’s Vice President for Academics. “But with ZFF’s support, we successfully guided them. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Tagle shared the impact on their faculty: “Our top management, deans, and faculty from [the College of] Health Education, which includes Nursing and Midwifery, and the [College of] Social Work have all benefited. This training has not only strengthened our team but inspired us to pass on these learnings to students and other stakeholders.”

Widening the Scope of Influence

Beyond immediate results, CCDC is integrating health leadership principles into its academic programs. Courses in nursing and midwifery now include these frameworks, and the school is exploring how to make leadership training a cornerstone of student activities.

“What we always say at CCDC is bringing education closer to the people,” Tagle explained. “This partnership has allowed us to widen our reach, engaging adult learners and promoting continuing education.”

The institution is also laying the groundwork for a Bridging Leadership Center, which would provide resources for faculty and students while fostering collaboration with other ZFF academic partners.

Looking Ahead

CCDC sees the partnership with ZFF as an opportunity to address emerging health issues, particularly mental health. “We’ve seen the need to focus on adolescent and mental health concerns,” Tagle shared. “We hope to expand our collaboration to tackle these pressing issues.”

Both Tagle and Bersamin expressed gratitude for the partnership, which has brought invaluable learning and growth to the institution. “With our shared vision, we hope to continue making a significant impact together.”

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Dr. Manuel M. Dayrit, a respected leader in public health, has been elected the new Chair of the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF). With a career spanning 48 years, Dr. Dayrit brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the role, having served on the ZFF board for the past nine years.

Dr. Dayrit takes on the role of Ernesto D. Garilao, who served as ZFF Chairman for three years, and has retired from the Foundation. Garilao, started as President of ZFF in 2008, initiated the capacity development for mayors and governors towards equitable outcomes through health leadership and governance. Under Garilao’s leadership, ZFF’s work was implemented and replicated in 37 provinces, 41 cities, and 772 municipalities.

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Dayrit expressed his pride and humility in taking on this new responsibility, reflecting on his long-standing commitment to improving health systems. He acknowledged the trust the Zuellig family has placed in him, and shared his excitement about the direction ZFF is headed. “It feels right,” he said, “as it takes me back to my roots of working in health programs and communities.”

Dr. Dayrit’s vision for ZFF includes strengthening its work in leadership development and governance, with a focus on scientific rigor and effective communication. He hopes to further ZFF’s mission of improving the health of Filipinos by building on its past successes and scaling up impactful programs across the country.

Dr. Dayrit’s distinguished career includes serving as the Secretary of Health in the Philippines from 2001 to 2005, working with the World Health Organization, and holding key academic and organizational roles. His leadership has been instrumental in numerous public health initiatives, and his work continues to inspire the next generation of health professionals. As Dr. Dayrit takes on this new leadership role, he is committed to guiding ZFF towards even greater success in improving health outcomes for all Filipinos.

The League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) is championing local actions to address malnutrition, specifically stunting and wasting, focusing on the critical window for child development which is the first 1000 days of life. 

The Philippines remains to have high levels of child stunting with 26.4 percent, which means that 1 in every 4 children under five years of age are short for their age. The national government is pushing for more robust and sustained LGU actions—especially in capitalizing on LGU’s powers in driving nutrition improvements—starting in 34 priority provinces identified in the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN). Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr., LPP President, emphasized that provinces can take the lead in these efforts in response to the call of the President.

LPP has partnered with the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) to strengthen critical leadership and governance competencies of provincial nutrition teams and establish province-wide systems necessary for an effective and sustained nutrition and food security programs. LPP President, Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr., and ZFF President and Executive Director Austere A. Panadero made the partnership official with a Memorandum of Understanding to operationalize the partnership.  

For over a decade, ZFF has been implementing health and nutrition leadership and governance development programs in collaboration with selected provinces, national government agencies, and international development partners.  Province–led efforts showed that stunting rates in program areas have been reduced by approximately 2 percent per year.  

Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Local Health System Universal Health Care (UHC) Learning Forum on December 10, 2024 gathered over 1,500 participants via Zoom and Facebook Live to discuss breakthroughs and challenges in implementing UHC across the country. The event marked the culmination of the Bayang Malusog Provincial Leadership Development Program (PLDP), one of the flagship initiatives of the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), implemented in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH)-Centers for Health Development.

Austere Panadero, President and Executive Director of ZFF, opened the forum by emphasizing the significance of the UHC Law, a landmark legislation that ensures every Filipino has access to affordable and quality healthcare. The Bayang Malusog PLDP, implemented in five regions (Cordillera, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, CALABARZON and Eastern Visayas) and two provinces (Agusan del Sur and Aklan), aims to accelerate UHC implementation by equipping local leaders with the tools to improve health systems. Dr. Catherine Chung, ZFF’s Local Health Systems Portfolio Director, shared the key to the program’s success: collaboration and leadership. She said, “The Bayang Malusog Program and experience was a collaborative feat marked by the resourceful and leadership skills of dynamic regional and provincial health teams.”

DOH Undersecretary for UHC Health Cluster Services Abdullah B. Dumama Jr. acknowledged the program’s impact, sharing how participating LGUs significantly enhanced their health systems and service delivery. “If we wish to finish stronger, we need to work together. Collaboration is key,” he said.

Sharing Lessons and Breakthroughs

Participants shared insights and experiences during the panel discussion. Key speakers highlighted both successes and obstacles faced in advancing UHC.

Challenges in Health Systems

Dr. Paula Paz Sydiongco, Regional Director of DOH-Ilocos, shared the complexities of health financing, fragmented information systems, and low primary care facility accreditation rates, which limit UHC progress. Addressing these requires partnerships, she said, citing initiatives like the KONSULTA caravan with PhilHealth that provided primary care services while educating communities on UHC benefits.

For Aklan, Dr. Leslie Ann Luces-Sedillo, Provincial Health Officer II, underscored the importance of unity among municipalities. “If we don’t work together as one province, UHC cannot move forward,” she said. She also discussed innovations in patient navigation systems and the private sector’s role in improving electronic medical records (EMRs), leading to better health services for communities.

Local Leadership Driving Change

Leaders like Aklan Governor Jose Enrique “Joen” Miraflores and health workers in Aklan  were celebrated for adopting a whole-of-province approach. These efforts ensured that local governments, regardless of political affiliations, aligned their goals to improve health outcomes.

Janriel Lavadia, UHC Coordinator at DOH-Cagayan Valley, noted a shift in mindset among LGUs, from programmatic thinking to investing in long-term UHC pillars. “It’s only when we achieve the goals of the UHC law that we can truly create an impact,” he said.

Moving Forward: A Shared Responsibility

The reactors, Dr. Carlo Irwin Panelo, Professor at the University of the Philippines Manila College of Public Health, and Dr. Manuel Dayrit, former Secretary of Health and member of the ZFF Board of Trustees, stressed the importance of collaboration, proper fund management, and public communication. “Money is oxygen,” said Dr. Dayrit. “If we manage the Special Health Fund well, we can attract partners, investments, and workers to strengthen health systems.”

As the forum concluded, participants reflected on the importance of shared responsibility in achieving UHC. From local chief executives to community health workers, everyone has a role to play. The collective efforts of leaders, health workers, and partners, supported by ZFF, PhilHealth and DOH, continue to drive progress toward the vision of Health for All. As Dr. Dayrit aptly said, “This is a long journey. We have provinces leading the way. We must ensure no one is left behind.”

Watch the event livestream here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AcfMqEhvF/