Junley Gallardo 

Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation President, Municipality of Macrohon, Southern Leyte 

For Junley Gallardo, addressing adolescent pregnancy is not simply a program responsibility. It is a commitment to create a safer and better future for the young people in his community. 

During a colloquium held on September 25, 2026, Gallardo shared Macrohon’s journey in implementing the Expanded Youth Leadership and Governance Program (EYLGP) of the Zuellig Family Foundation, in partnership with UNFPA, and the efforts of the municipality to strengthen youth participation, adolescent health, and community-based interventions. 

Barangay officials and youth leaders from Macrohon, Southern Leyte, share their experiences and progress in addressing adolescent pregnancy during the Barangay EYLGP Colloquium on September 25, 2026.

One of the significant initiatives highlighted was the establishment and utilization of the Behavior Change and Design (BCD) Center, which became a venue for conducting forums, dialogues, and symposiums for young people. These activities provided adolescents with opportunities to access relevant information on adolescent health, responsible decision-making, prevention of early pregnancy, and other concerns affecting their well-being. 

Recognizing that young people can also be effective partners in reaching their peers, Macrohon also invested in the training of Youth Peer Educators. Through peer-to-peer engagement, trained young people help disseminate accurate information, encourage healthy behaviors, and create a more approachable space where adolescents can discuss concerns and seek guidance. 

For Gallardo, these initiatives demonstrate that meaningful change begins when young people are given the opportunity to participate and take ownership of issues that directly affect their lives. 

However, the journey has not been without challenges. During the colloquium, Macrohon also acknowledged the emergence of a 13-year-old adolescent pregnancy case associated with gender-based violence. The municipality has initiated the appropriate case management and legal processes, with a case filed against the alleged perpetrator, who remains at large. The situation reinforced the need for stronger child protection mechanisms, timely referral systems, adolescent-friendly health services, and closer coordination among local stakeholders. 

Rather than seeing these challenges as setbacks, Gallardo emphasized the importance of continuing and strengthening the interventions already established in the community. 

Participants of the Barangay EYLGP Colloquium in Macrohon, Southern Leyte, reaffirm their commitment to advancing adolescent health through youth participation.

Macrohon is now looking beyond its current four covered barangays. The municipality intends to expand EYLGP to at least two additional barangays every year, strengthen adolescent-friendly health service points, and ensure that young people have easier access to accurate and appropriate health information and services. 

Another important milestone is the proposed Child, Early, and Forced Marriage and Unions (CEFMU) Ordinance, which is already under second reading. Once enacted, the ordinance is expected to strengthen the municipality’s policy framework in addressing vulnerabilities associated with early pregnancy and child, early, and forced marriage. 

For Gallardo, the progress made so far is significant, but there is still much work to be done. His message reflects both humility and determination: “Layo pa, pero layo na ta.” The journey toward eliminating adolescent pregnancy and creating a truly supportive environment for young people may still be long, but Macrohon has already taken important steps forward. 

Junley Gallardo’s story is a reminder that progress does not always mean reaching the finish line. Sometimes, it means recognizing how far the community has already come—and having the courage and commitment to keep moving forward.

—

The Expanded Youth Leadership and Governance Program is a 24-month capability development initiative launched by the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) in partnership with UNFPA under the Joint Program on Accelerating the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy (JPARAP). Operating in Samar and Southern Leyte since 2023, EYLGP trains local leaders to strengthen adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) systems.

Author: Armand Duque, ZFF EYLGP Associate

Jonathan Cabugao 

Barangay Kagawad, Barangay Poblacion, Liloan, Southern Leyte 

“No’ng hindi ko pa alam ang mga programa ng ZFF (Zuellig Family Foundation) about EYLGP (Expanded Youth Leadership and Governance Program), sa amin parang normal lang. May nabubuntis nang maaga, pero hindi namin alam na hindi pala ito maganda,” Jonathan Cabugao admitted.

For him, early pregnancy was initially viewed as an ordinary occurrence in the community. However, his participation in EYLGP Modules 1 and 2 changed his perspective and helped him recognize the important role of barangay officials in preventing adolescent pregnancy and supporting young people. 

Through the EYLGP sessions, he realized that addressing adolescent pregnancy requires more than simply responding when a case occurs. It requires prevention, education, youth participation, supportive policies, access to health information, and collective action from the community. 

Barangay officials and youth leaders from Liloan, Southern Leyte, discuss local efforts and plans to address adolescent pregnancy during the Barangay EYLGP Colloquium on September 30, 2026.

After completing the EYLGP training sessions, Cabugao and the barangay team began translating their learning into concrete actions. The barangay conducted youth forums and symposiums, coordinated with the Rural Health Unit (RHU) to provide appropriate information, education, and communication (IEC) materials and adolescent health information, and implemented a barangay curfew policy. They also adopted the Key Assistance for Developing Adolescents (KADA) Network Ordinance and allocated an annual budget for activities focused on adolescents and youth, particularly through the Sangguniang Kabataan. 

Recognizing that parents also play an important role in preventing adolescent pregnancy, the barangay strengthened its coordination with the Municipal Link to involve parents through Family Development Sessions (FDS). 

These efforts were accompanied by a notable decline in reported adolescent pregnancy cases in Barangay Poblacion. From six cases in 2023, the number decreased to four in 2024, two in 2025, and only one case in 2026, involving a 17-year-old adolescent. 

For Cabugao, the goal is not simply to reduce the number of cases but to sustain the interventions and eventually achieve zero adolescent pregnancy cases in the barangay.  “Mahirap ma-zero, pero ginagawa namin ang aming makakaya para ma-sustain ang programa.” 

His experience demonstrates how capacity-building can transform the perspective of local leaders, from seeing adolescent pregnancy as a normal occurrence to recognizing it as an issue that requires proactive leadership, community action, and sustained intervention. 

Participants of the Branagay EYLGP Colloquium in Liloan, Southern Leyte, stand together in support of local efforts to prevent adolescent pregnancy and promote youth well-being.

Cabugao’s story also highlights the importance of empowering barangay officials with the knowledge and tools to act. Through EYLGP, the barangay has strengthened its youth programs, policies, partnerships, and resource allocation to create a more supportive environment for adolescents. 

For Jonathan Cabugao, the journey is a continuing commitment: to learn, to act, and to ensure that young people in the community have the right information, support, and opportunities they need to make informed decisions about their health and future. 

—

The Expanded Youth Leadership and Governance Program is a 24-month capability development initiative launched by the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) in partnership with UNFPA under the Joint Program on Accelerating the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy (JPARAP). Operating in Samar and Southern Leyte since 2023, EYLGP trains local leaders to strengthen adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) systems.

Author: Armand Duque, ZFF EYLGP Associate

An adolescent may ask a teacher for help, visit a health center, speak with a barangay worker, or raise a concern during a community activity. The first response matters. The person they approach needs to listen, identify what support is needed, and guide them to the appropriate service. The offices involved then need to coordinate so the adolescent can continue receiving support.

This was the focus of a planning workshop between Quezon City and the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) on the Quezon City Unified Services and Information (QUSI) Teen Network last September 21, 2026. Representatives from the city’s health, social services, education, youth development, and barangay coordination offices reviewed the network’s proposed Manual of Procedures alongside the services and referral processes they already use.

The discussion brought forward three practical lessons for connecting adolescents to care.

Participants gather with the Zuellig Family Foundation for the QUSI Teen Network planning workshop.

Respond to the adolescent’s full situation

A pregnant learner may need prenatal care and a hospital referral. She may also need support to continue her education. If she faces bullying or feels uncomfortable returning to school, decisions about her learning arrangement need to consider both her well-being and her opportunity to keep studying.

Quezon City representatives discussed how schools, health providers, and social services can coordinate this support. They also examined how concerns identified during school and community activities should enter the appropriate health or child protection process.

The discussion widened the lens beyond the pregnant adolescent. The Quezon City Health Department (QCHD) shared that it began including information about partners in adolescent pregnancy profiling this year, following an observed increase in cases involving adolescent fathers. This creates an opportunity to consider what support and prevention efforts adolescent boys may need. It also calls for careful assessment of each adolescent’s circumstances, including safety and child protection concerns, before deciding how partner information should be used.

Make the next step clear at every point of contact

Adolescents do not all approach the same office first. The QUSI procedures therefore need to guide teachers, barangay workers, health providers, and other partners on what to do when an adolescent seeks help.

For example, participants clarified that a private lying-in clinic may be the first facility to identify a pregnant adolescent. Its role in the pathway is to refer her to the appropriate hospital for delivery. The workshop also examined how concerns found through community outreach and school activities can enter existing referral procedures.

The QUSI Teen Center’s primary objective to connect adolescents to coordinated care and support services.

Follow through on referrals

A referral should give the receiving service the information it needs to respond, while protecting the adolescent’s privacy. It should also be possible to check whether the adolescent reached that service and whether further coordination is needed.

Quezon City’s Health Care Provider Network already uses electronic referral and feedback for maternal health, HIV, and family planning services. Navigators monitor referrals among participating providers. QCHD and ZFF will explore how this experience could inform the wider QUSI Teen Network, including referrals that begin on paper or involve services outside the provider network.

The workshop identified details that Quezon City and ZFF will continue to refine: who records each referral, who monitors it, how receiving services provide feedback, and which office coordinates follow-up. Service contacts, responsibilities, and safeguards in the proposed procedures also require confirmation before the manual is finalized.

The QUSI Teen Network brings together services that adolescents may need at different points in their lives. Its Manual of Procedures aims to make those connections clear to the people providing care—and easier for adolescents to navigate when they ask for help.

Author: KC Lyn Razon-Gadon, ZFF Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH) Learning and Development Associate

At the AVPN Global Conference 2026 in Delhi, global leaders explored how capital can drive lasting systems change in nutrition. For Dr. Joyce Viar, Nutrition Director at Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), the answer lies in stronger local leadership, government ownership, and sustained investment. With ZFF’s Pook Malusog showcased under AVPN’s Nutrition Leaders Programme, Dr. Viar explained how catalytic financing can transition toward government adoption, positioning ZFF’s work as a model for system-level change in the Philippines and across Asia.

—

 

In Delhi, India, a global gathering of funders, governments, and development leaders asked a critical question: What will it take to move capital beyond projects and toward lasting systems change? For the Zuellig Family Foundation, the answer begins with a familiar proposition: stronger local leadership, government ownership, and sustained investment in nutrition.

Putting local government at the center

This question echoed throughout the AVPN Global Conference 2026 in Delhi, India, where philanthropic organizations, government leaders, development organizations, and social investors explored how capital can be better translated into meaningful and sustained social impact.

For ZFF, the conversation struck close to home. For more than a decade, ZFF has worked with local governments to strengthen leadership, governance, and systems for better health and nutrition outcomes. At the conference, this experience became part of a larger Asian conversation that is shifting from financing individual projects to investing in systems, institutions, and partnerships that can sustain results.

A defining moment for ZFF came when Pook Malusog was invited as an impact showcase under AVPN’s Nutrition Leaders Programme, an initiative focused on mobilizing capital for maternal and child nutrition across Asia and selected conflict settings.

The dedicated nutrition financing session explored how philanthropy, government financing, corporate capital, state-linked funds, and Islamic social finance could be combined to address persistent financing gaps in nutrition.

Against this backdrop, Pook Malusog offered a different way of thinking about what an investment in nutrition can look like. It is not simply a program delivering services to communities. It is an approach that seeks to strengthen the local systems through which nutrition outcomes are achieved and sustained.

Photo above: A provincial governor and his team take part in a Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP) executive session focused on strengthening local leadership and governance for better nutrition outcomes.

ZFF’s experience highlighted several elements: strengthening local government leadership and accountability; building the capacity of local health and nutrition actors; using evidence and data to inform decisions; working within decentralized government systems rather than creating parallel structures; and ensuring that the government itself owns the changes being introduced.

Across 11 provinces, ZFF’s experience, including sustained nutrition improvements observed over a decade and increasing government adoption, offers a practical illustration of how strengthening local systems can contribute to longer-term outcomes. It also reflects how the Foundation’s work continues to evolve, from the First 1,000 days (F1KD) toward the next 1,000 days (F2KD).

The real financing gap

One of the strongest messages from the nutrition discussions was that the world may no longer have a simple evidence problem. We know much more about what works in nutrition. The harder question is: How do we finance and deliver what works at the scale and for the length of time required to produce meaningful change?

Rather than treating nutrition primarily as a welfare expense, the discussions positioned it as an investment in human capital, productivity, and long-term economic development. But even when the case for investment is clear, financing systems can make sustained action difficult. Regulatory constraints can limit non-government contributions, public budgets may not always align with priority nutrition interventions, and grant cycles are often short while meaningful outcomes can require 10 to 15 years to achieve.

This creates a fundamental mismatch: long-term problems are being financed through short-term instruments.

The conference discussions pointed toward blended and pooled financing as part of the response, using philanthropic or catalytic capital to leverage government, corporate, and faith-based resources rather than substitute for them. For ZFF, this reinforces an important principle: external capital should not simply finance another project cycle. It should help create the conditions for the government to eventually finance and sustain the work.

In other words, catalytic investment should have an exit strategy, not from the problem, but toward government ownership and public financing.

From pilots to solutions that can scale

The same shift in thinking surfaced across other sessions at the conference. AVPN CEO Naina Subberwal Batra opened the conference by asking how we move capital to impact. The question resonated beyond nutrition. Climate, health, poverty, and other complex challenges cannot be addressed through isolated interventions; they require systems thinking, collaboration, and long-term approaches.

Collective action was described as “collaboration plus plus,” going beyond coordination toward deeper alignment and shared responsibility for outcomes. For ZFF, this has particular relevance to leadership development. Strengthening leaders is not simply about giving them new competencies. It is about enabling them to exercise leadership differently within the systems where they work, bringing people together, aligning resources, using evidence, and creating accountability for results.

The philanthropy discussions also called for greater flexibility and humility. Funders need to understand complex systems before designing solutions and be willing to learn from failure.

Perhaps most importantly, there was a clear call to move beyond a proliferation of disconnected pilots and invest in approaches that have the potential to scale.

The question therefore changes from: “Does this project work?” to: “What would it take for this approach to work through the systems that already exist, and at a scale that matters?”

Building resilience before the crisis

The conference also broadened the conversation from impact to resilience. Humanitarian financing discussions highlighted how funding systems often respond to crises rather than investing in the relationships and systems that can reduce their impact.

One message captured the idea simply: “Build relationships before crises, not during them.”

For ZFF, this has clear relevance to provinces facing disasters, conflict, displacement, and climate-related shocks. Resilience needs to be built into governance systems, relationships, planning, and community engagement before disruption occurs. The same principle applies to nutrition. A resilient nutrition system has the relationships, leadership, data, financing, and local capacity needed to absorb shocks without allowing vulnerable children and families to fall further behind.

Photo above: A Pook Malusog Community of Practice panel discussion explores nutrition resilience, including lessons from Project TRANSFORM (Transdisciplinary Approach for Resilient and Sustainable Communities) in building health and nutrition systems that can withstand disruptions.

From beneficiaries to owners

Another important thread was the changing role of communities, particularly women, in development. Gender-responsive financing discussions moved beyond viewing women simply as beneficiaries. Investment should strengthen women’s agency and their ability to make decisions about education, economic participation, health, and reproductive health. Government, meanwhile, needs to be part of the equation so successful approaches can become embedded in public systems.

This perspective resonates with ZFF’s work in maternal health, nutrition, leadership, and local governance. People are not simply recipients of systems. They are part of the systems that determine whether those systems work.

A new proposition for ZFF

Taken together, the conversations in Delhi point toward an opportunity for ZFF to sharpen its own proposition.

First, make the investment case for nutrition more explicit, not only as a health intervention, but as an investment in human capital, productivity, poverty reduction, and long-term development.

Second, develop catalytic financing propositions that complement rather than replace government resources, with a deliberate pathway from external investment to government adoption and sustained public financing.

The conference also reinforces the importance of financing horizons that match the time required to achieve nutrition outcomes. As AI and data analytics become more accessible, these tools could help strengthen how organizations diagnose problems, identify patterns, estimate resource requirements, model outcomes, and support decision-making, while keeping human judgment and contextual understanding at the center.

There is also an opportunity to contribute to AVPN’s emerging conversations around an Asian funders coalition for maternal and child nutrition, bringing ZFF’s experience in local government leadership, systems strengthening, nutrition governance, and government adoption into a wider regional platform.

Photo above: Dr. Joyce Viar (third from bottom right) joins fellow development leaders at the AVPN Global Conference 2026 in Delhi, India.

Moving capital differently

The AVPN Global Conference 2026 offered more than new ideas about philanthropy or financing. It challenged participants to reconsider what impact means and what it takes to sustain it.

For ZFF, being invited to present Pook Malusog as an impact showcase was an opportunity to bring a Philippine experience into this broader Asian conversation. More importantly, it affirmed the relevance of an approach grounded in local leadership, government ownership, and systems strengthening to a global question: How can capital help create lasting change?

The answer may not lie in finding more projects to fund. It may lie in investing differently, as we do in ZFF: investing in the leaders, institutions, relationships, and systems that allow solutions to take root and endure.

For ZFF, this opens an opportunity to position its work not simply around implementing health and nutrition programs, but around catalyzing government-led, system-level change and helping mobilize capital for sustained nutrition impact in the Philippines and, potentially, across Asia.

Author: Dr. Joyce Viar, ZFF Nutrition Director

Dr. Catherine Chung, Local Health Systems (LHS) Director at Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), reflects on what effective technical assistance truly means: not just transferring knowledge, but building local partners’ capacity, connections, and accountability. Drawing on the recent Governance and Accountability for Better Access through YAKAP Implementation (GABAY) pilot for Universal Health Care (UHC), she argues that development partners should aim to become less necessary over time, walking alongside local governments until UHC becomes a lived reality for every Filipino.

—

 

With close to 19 years working in public health and local health systems strengthening, I have continually asked myself: What is the most effective technical assistance we can provide to our partners—one that goes beyond knowledge transfer and truly adds value to their work?

This question became even more relevant after we concluded the pilot implementation of GABAY (Governance and Accountability for Better Access through YAKAP Implementation), held on September 22–24, 2026, in Baguio City.

The pilot brought together our partner areas from Benguet Province, the municipalities of Kapangan and Kibungan, and Baguio City, together with the PhilHealth Social Health Insurance Academy (SHIA) team, Regional and Provincial PhilHealth teams and the Department of Health-Center for Health Development in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Provincial, city, and municipal health officers, budget officers, accountants, treasurers, and planning officers also participated. The initiative was co-designed to support Universal Health Care (UHC) implementation, particularly by strengthening financial integration at the local level.

Photo above: Participants work together in small groups during the GABAY pilot.

As we work toward full province- and city-wide health systems integration, one of the most challenging areas has consistently been health financing. Financial integration is not simply a matter of understanding policies and processes. It requires specialized knowledge, strong governance, coordinated planning, and the ability of different stakeholders to work together around a shared understanding of local needs and priorities.

This is where technical assistance must evolve.

Effective technical assistance should not merely provide answers or introduce new tools. It should bring the right people together, build their capacity to analyze their own challenges, strengthen decision-making, and enable them to develop solutions that are responsive to their local context.

The PhilHealth GABAY pilot experience reinforced for me that financing decisions ultimately affect people. Resources must be planned and allocated strategically to ensure that essential health services are sustained, primary care remains accessible, and no one is left behind, including the health workers who serve at the frontline of the health system.

For technical assistance providers, therefore, the question should not only be “What technical support can we give?” but rather “What capabilities, connections, and values can we help our partners build so that they can lead, plan better, utilize resources effectively, and deliver quality health care services, ensuring that UHC is felt even in the farthest communities?”

Financial integration is one of the critical components that will bind together and strengthen effective UHC implementation. Primary care financing, in particular, has historically been one of the more difficult areas to navigate because it involves multiple stakeholders, systems, processes, and layers of accountability.

The GABAY pilot is therefore not an endpoint. It is one of many learning opportunities and technical assistance initiatives that our partners will undertake as they move toward greater financial maturity and stronger local health systems.

Photo above: Stakeholders from across the Cordillera Administrative Region together with PhilHealth SHIA and ZFF gather for a group photo, symbolizing shared commitment and partnership needed to advance UHC.

Perhaps this is the real measure of effective technical assistance: not how much we provide, but how much stronger, more capable, and more accountable our partners become because of it, and how sustainable the reforms become when we are no longer there as partners.

Our goal as development partners should be to make ourselves less necessary over time, not because local governments need less support, but because they have gained the capability, confidence, and systems to lead their own change.

This is the essence of our work as development partners: to walk alongside our partners, strengthen their capacity, and help build systems that can sustain progress beyond our engagement.

We will continue this noble work until, together, Universal Health Care becomes not only a policy or aspiration, but a reality that is felt by every Filipino, even in the farthest communities.

Author: Dr. Catherine Chung, ZFF LHS Director

From a Deep Dive experience to a province-wide call for action, Governor Nelson Dayanghirang is bringing Davao Oriental’s mayors together to make nutrition everyone’s business.

There is a moment in every leadership journey when learning has to become action.

For Governor Nelson Dayanghirang of Davao Oriental, that moment came after his Deep Dive, a guided community immersion, under the Zuellig Family Foundation’s (ZFF) Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP).

From Community Reality to Leadership Reflection

During the Deep Dive in a barangay in Mati City, Governor Dayanghirang met a family living on no more than Php 5,000 a month. Their home had woven bamboo walls, no proper toilet, and inconsistent water access. Their two-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

The family relied on seasonal fishing and coconut harvest labor. Their father’s fishing boat was old and damaged, while coconut harvest work lasted only about three months each year.

For Governor Dayanghirang, the experience was deeply personal. What struck him most was the family’s dignity. He said that they speak with honesty, directness, and genuine goodness.

The experience also reminded the Governor of his early years as a Barangay Captain. He said it felt like going back to one’s roots. “Every time we go out to communities, meet people where they live, and truly understand their situation, we rediscover the passion that brought us here in the first place.”

Photo above: Governor Dayanghirang speaks with the mother and her child during the Deep Dive, listening firsthand to the family’s daily realities.

The Deep Dive also showed him that addressing malnutrition means looking beyond nutrition itself. He said, “If we never address the root issue of income and livelihood, then giving someone a chicken or a goat is not enough. We need a strategic plan, and we must help people build stable, reliable sources of income.”

This reflection became the starting point for a wider conversation with Davao Oriental’s local chief executives.

From One Leader to Many

The Governor’s Engagement with Mayors (GEM) gave Governor Dayanghirang an opportunity to bring his Deep Dive learning to the provincial level and ask a bigger question: What can local leaders do together to address malnutrition?

The GEM brought together the NutriLEAP learning process and outcomes, Davao Oriental’s provincial nutrition landscape, and regional and municipal data. The discussion covered maternal and child health, adolescent pregnancy, stunting, and the local conditions behind these outcomes.

The data showed challenges that cannot be addressed by the health sector alone. Maternal deaths were discussed in relation to delays in seeking care and receiving treatment. Infant deaths were linked largely to infections. The province also recorded an adolescent birth rate of 16.8 percent, or 1,258 births, against a target of keeping adolescent births below 10 percent of live births.

Then came the discussion on stunting.

For local leaders, the question was no longer simply how many children are stunted, but why.

Municipal-level data can help leaders identify where technical assistance is needed and where to look for local causes, from water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and food systems to agriculture, social protection, and community-based food initiatives.

Dr. Reden Bersaldo, Provincial Health Officer, presented the province’s ambition of zero stunting. He acknowledged that it may seem like a difficult goal to achieve, but it is possible with everyone working together.

The province’s strategy includes collaboration across agencies, clear policies and guidelines, and partnerships with the Department of Health, National Nutrition Council, and development partners such as Vitamin Angels and Compassion International. It also plans to expand the Family Stunting Reduction (FaStR) Program, a family-based initiative supported by ZFF that teaches parents to monitor their children’s growth and health, especially during the critical first 1,000 days of life (F1KD).

For Governor Dayanghirang, data should lead leaders toward action. “As a leader we have the responsibility to respond [and] identify its causes,” he said. And then came his challenge to the province: “Together let us turn all plans into action.”

Photo above: Governor Dayanghirang addresses the province’s local chief executives during the Governor’s Engagement with Mayors (GEM), calling for collective action toward Zero Stunting.

“No One Can Solve Malnutrition Alone”

Turning plans into action requires more than a provincial directive. It requires people willing to own the problem together. For Governor Dayanghirang, co-ownership meant acknowledging a reality that can be difficult for leaders to say aloud: “No one can solve malnutrition alone, not even the governor who has a lot of power.”

His next question was even more personal: “Kinsa ako makauban sa akong leadership journey?” Who can accompany me on this leadership journey? In asking that question, the Governor shifted the conversation from authority to partnership. The mayors became co-owners of the province’s nutrition agenda, with each municipality identifying actions suited to its own community.

Different Communities, One Ambition

The provincial commitment was clear: Zero Stunting for Davao Oriental. But reaching that goal will not look exactly the same in every municipality.

In Governor Generoso and Banay-Banay, local priorities centered on addressing stunting through education and stronger coordination across health, agriculture, and social welfare and development. In San Isidro, the call was direct: “Malnutrisyon Labanan.” In Cateel, leaders identified food security as a priority, recognizing that provincial resources are finite and must be directed strategically toward improving access to nutritious food.

In Tarragona, priorities included increasing the nutrition budget, creating a plantilla position for the Municipal Nutrition Action Officer, and increasing the honorarium of Barangay Health Workers and Barangay Nutrition Scholars. The municipality also identified actions for pregnant women and young children, including folic acid and immunization, stronger Operation Timbang Plus coverage, improved access to nutritious food, and promotion of appropriate feeding and healthy lifestyles.

Photo above: Participants from across Davao Oriental gather with the ZFF team, marking a shared commitment to making nutrition everyone’s business.

Across these commitments, one message emerged: Nutrition becomes stronger when it becomes everyone’s work.

The Governor’s Engagement with Mayors became more than another meeting on nutrition. One leader’s learning became a conversation with many leaders. One provincial vision began taking shape through municipal commitments. Data became a basis for asking harder questions about what needs to change on the ground.

The Deep Dive gave Governor Dayanghirang an opportunity to reflect and learn. The GEM gave him an opportunity to bring others into that reflection.

—

The Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP) is a capacity-building initiative by ZFF, supported by the League of Provinces of the Philippines, to improve nutrition outcomes in provinces nationwide. It strengthens leadership and governance against malnutrition by equipping governors and their teams to assess local nutrition systems, identify gaps, engage stakeholders, and implement sustainable actions. By fostering accountability and collaboration, NutriLEAP helps local leaders turn goals into lasting change.

Photos from: Provincial Government of Davao Oriental

Authors: Samantha Morales, ZFF Nutrition Knowledge Management and Communications Associate; Krizzia Esperanza, ZFF Corporate Communications Associate

For years, health workers in Baguio City managed health information across paper-based records, electronic medical records (EMRs), and government platforms that were not fully integrated. While data was routinely collected, its availability in usable and timely forms for patient care, planning, reporting, and decision-making remained a persistent challenge.

Photo above: Elmer Datuin, Chair for the Committee on Health and Sanitation of Baguio City, in his message commits to institutionalize BMRS through a resolution and ensure appropriation.

This experience became an important impetus for the city to develop a health information system (HIS) responsive to its local context and the needs of its health workers.

Today, Baguio City is taking further steps toward a more integrated and interoperable HIS through the continued development of its Baguio Medical Record System (BMRS) and the strengthening of the governance, standards, and processes needed to sustain it.

From Fragmented Systems to a Homegrown Solution

With the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law placing greater emphasis on functional HIS as part of local health system strengthening, Baguio City initially explored available solutions, including the Department of Health (DOH)’s iClinicSys and other third-party EMR platforms.

However, challenges in system usability, access to information, integration, and technical support underscored the need for a solution more responsive to the city’s operational realities.

The city eventually pursued the development of its own system.

Under the leadership of Mayor Benjamin Magalong and Francis Camarao, head of the city’s Management Information and Technology Division, the city developed the Baguio Medical Record System (BMRS), a locally developed platform designed around the needs of Baguio’s health facilities and frontline health workers.

Related article: 

• Baguio Showcases Locally-developed Electronic Medical Record System

The development of BMRS represents an important shift from simply digitizing records toward making health information more accessible and useful for clinical care, reporting, planning, and management.

The system has since supported PhilHealth’s Yakap and eClaims packages and has been validated at Level 2 under PhilHealth’s EMR standards. The city is likewise preparing for DOH EMR certification.

While full interoperability with other HIS remains a continuing objective, Baguio is taking steps to establish the standards, policies, security measures, and governance mechanisms necessary to support this direction.

Creating Space for Strategic Reflection

From September 8 to 10, 2026, the Baguio City Health Services Office (HSO) convened a three-day orientation and strategic planning workshop focused on strengthening the city’s HIS.

Led by Dr. Vanessa Polig-Fagcangan, HSO ICT Coordinator, the workshop brought together key local health leaders and representatives from the city government, health facilities, national health agencies, development partners, and the BMRS development team.

Among the key local participants were Elmer Datuin, Chair for the Committee on Health and Sanitation, and Dr. Maria Lourdes Pakoy, Assistant City Health Officer, together with representatives from the HSO, city health facilities, planning team, and BMRS development team.

Representatives from the PhilHealth Regional Office-CAR, PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office, and the DOH Center for Health Development (CHD)-CAR also participated in the discussions.

Providing technical expertise from PhilHealth’s Information Technology Management Department (ITMD) were Emma Ilagan and Stephanie Gavino, who shared perspectives on EMR standards, accreditation, and the technical requirements relevant to the city’s HIS. Their participation helped situate Baguio’s local efforts within the broader requirements and direction of the national health insurance program.

Dr. Ayedee Ace Domingo, HIS expert and ZFF consultant, provided technical guidance throughout the workshop, helping participants examine the HIS not only from a technology perspective but also in relation to health system governance, implementation, and sustainability.

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) was represented by Dr. Catherine Chung, Local Health Systems Director, together with Joan Kidatan and Ayeza De Mesa, program associates under the Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP). Their participation formed part of ZFF’s continuing technical assistance to Baguio City through its partnership under BMLGP.

The workshop covered the role of HIS in UHC implementation, relevant national and international standards and frameworks, experiences and good practices from other local government units, and PhilHealth’s EMR accreditation process.

Participants subsequently assessed Baguio’s current HIS landscape, developed a shared vision for the city’s HIS, identified and prioritized strategic interventions, and translated these priorities into a roadmap and action plan.

The workshop resulted in two key outputs: an HIS Strategic Plan and a six-month short-term action plan.

Photo above: Stakeholders from the Baguio Local Government Unit (HSO and Management Information and Technology Department) together with DOH-CHD CAR and PhilHealth Regional Office-CAR participate in the workshop.

Strengthening Local Capacity through Partnership

ZFF’s engagement in the activity stemmed from a request from Baguio City through the BMLGP partnership. HIS had been identified as an area where technical coaching and mentoring could contribute to the city’s continuing efforts to strengthen its local health system.

ZFF supported the preparation and design of the workshop and facilitated access to technical expertise from relevant institutions and practitioners, including the PhilHealth ITMD team and Dr. Domingo.

The engagement reflects ZFF’s broader approach to supporting local governments in advancing UHC: strengthening local leadership and governance while helping build the systems and capacities required to translate health policies and investments into improved health outcomes.

HIS is a critical component of this work. Reliable and accessible health information enables health workers and leaders to better understand the needs of their communities, monitor health service delivery, identify gaps, allocate resources, and make evidence-informed decisions.

Photo above: Mayor Benjamin Magalong (third from the left) and Dr. Vanessa Polig-Fagcangan (leftmost), Medical Officer IV, brings the ZFF and PhilHealth teams to Baguio’s SMART City.

Seeing the Impact at the Frontline

The value of BMRS is most evident in the experience of the health workers who use it.

Dr. Nathazha Franco described how the system has changed the way patient information is managed: “Our patient record keeping has drastically changed because of BMRS. The time spent for finding records has been minimized including the time to prepare reports. We can now also see patients’ records digitally and help us decide better for patient care, especially now that we can also see records of the referrals we made.”

For City Camp nurse Mr. Ferrer, the locally developed system has likewise contributed to improvements in frontline work: “Having a homegrown EMR is the best decision our city made, which helped us frontliners in many ways, especially with the continuous improvement in our system.”

These experiences demonstrate that the value of an HIS extends beyond digitizing records. Its effectiveness ultimately depends on whether health workers can use the information to improve service delivery and make better decisions for patients and communities.

From System Development to Institutionalization

Despite the progress made, Baguio recognizes that significant work remains.

The next phase of development requires attention not only to the technology itself but also to the institutional structures that will sustain it. Key priorities include formalizing HIS governance through appropriate policies and an ordinance, establishing a dedicated organizational structure and personnel, ensuring sustainable funding, strengthening capacity-building, and improving compliance with data privacy requirements.

These are essential foundations for achieving the city’s longer-term goal of interoperability.

As the experience of Baguio demonstrates, developing a functional EMR is only one part of the journey. Sustaining and integrating the system requires clear governance, defined responsibilities, adequate resources, capable people, and adherence to standards.

Photo above: Emma Ilagan, Unified PhilHealth Electronic Claims System Chair, provides guidance to Baguio City on software certification and onboarding process.

Building Systems That Work for People

One of the key lessons shared during the workshop was that there is no single “best” HIS. For Dr. Domingo, the best system is one that people actually use.

For local governments, this means that technology choices should be grounded in the realities of their health systems and the needs of the people who will use them. At the same time, systems need to be designed with standards, security, privacy, and interoperability in mind from the outset.

Baguio’s experience illustrates both the opportunities and challenges of taking this approach.

The decision to develop BMRS emerged from the limitations of existing systems. Its continued development, however, has demonstrated that technology alone cannot address the full range of challenges involved in building a sustainable HIS.

The work must also extend to governance, organizational capacity, financing, data stewardship, and continuous improvement.

Continuing the Journey

Baguio City’s experience is not a story of an HIS  that has already reached its endpoint.

It is a story of a local government that recognized a persistent problem, developed a locally responsive solution, and is now working to strengthen the foundations needed to take that solution further.

The journey toward interoperability will require sustained commitment and collaboration among the city government, health workers, national government agencies, technology teams, and development partners.

As Dr. Fagcangan aptly expressed during the workshop, “Malayo na, pero malayo pa.” Baguio has made significant progress, but much remains to be done.

The next steps will be critical: institutionalizing governance, strengthening standards and data protection, investing in people and resources, and ensuring that health information can move securely and meaningfully across systems.

Ultimately, the goal is not interoperability for its own sake. It is to ensure that health information is available when it is needed, understood when it is received, and used to support better decisions, better services, and better health outcomes for every community.

For Baguio City, the work continues. And its experience offers a valuable reference for other local governments navigating their own journey toward stronger, more responsive, and interoperable health information systems.

Authors: Joan Kidatan, ZFF BMLGP Associate for Baguio City

 

 

On August 26, 2026, the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) convened alumni Local Government Units (LGUs) under the Pook Malusog Community of Practice for an online learning session on the 2025 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) findings, presented by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI). The session moved beyond data presentation and focused on a central question: How can LGUs translate national evidence into effective local nutrition governance?

The discussion, enriched by the participation of the Department of Health (DOH), National Nutrition Council (NNC), and the Nutrition Division of the Ministry of Health-BARMM, provided a shared space for LGUs and regional nutrition actors to examine emerging nutrition trends. It reinforced a unified message: while progress in nutrition is achievable, it hinges on strong, resilient nutrition governance built on intentional, collaborative, and sustained action.

The ENNS findings served as a shared scorecard, reminding participants that national nutrition outcomes are shaped by the collective actions and governance decisions made across all LGUs, underscoring a shared responsibility to contribute to faster, more sustained progress.

Participants identified key enabling factors that have helped them improve nutrition outcomes, including strong leadership from local chief executives, a capable nutrition workforce, multisectoral coordination, supportive policies, and active community participation.

To build on these strengths, LGUs committed to specific actions. The LGU of Tarangnan, Samar, for example, prioritized functional Local and Barangay Nutrition Committees; Kiamba, Sarangani planned to localize ZFF’s Municipal Nutrition Governance Program; Lamitan, Basilan sustained ordinances on lactation stations and First 1,000 Days (F1KD) budgeting; and Gamay, Northern Samar reinforced monitoring and evaluation to replicate best practices.

Photo above: Diverse participants of the Pook Malusog Community of Practice online learning session engaged in collaborative discussion on translating ENNS findings into local nutrition governance actions.

Participants also confronted persistent challenges: human resource and leadership instability, funding limitations, procurement delays, and data accessibility gaps. The facilitator emphasized that identifying challenges is only the first step; LGUs must examine why they persist and what practices need to change.

This led to candid reflections on what should be stopped or done differently. Pagsanghan, Samar called for harmonizing fragmented program implementation. Tarangnan pushed for strict enforcement of ordinances for Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) and Barangay Health Workers (BHW) retention. Sumisip, Basilan recommended strict monitoring and making some health worker positions plantilla items.

The facilitator captured the session’s journey in three key messages:

1. The national picture is a shared scorecard; we all contribute to it. The ENNS results remind us that every LGU has a role to play in shaping the country’s nutrition story.
2. LGUs are already making a difference; strong governance sustains progress. Sustained gains are not the work of a single leader but the result of a collective system with strong leadership, institutional systems, and multisectoral coordination.
3. We can influence what happens next; the key is to be intentional. The challenge is not just to improve, but to accelerate progress by deliberately deciding which strategies to sustain, which to change, and which innovations to introduce.

The session concluded with a call to continue conversations through the Community of Practice platform and the upcoming annual face-to-face conference in November. The path forward is clear: translate evidence into action, learn from one another, and strengthen local nutrition governance to build a healthier future for Filipino children, families, and communities.

Cebu’s response to malnutrition commits to go beyond feeding programs and address the conditions that determine whether families can consistently access nutritious food.

During the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)–League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) Executive Session with Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro under the Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP), the Governor proposed integrating a Zero Hunger initiative into the province’s Comprehensive Nutrition Action Plan, recognizing that food security and nutrition are deeply interconnected. 

Related article:

• Building Momentum for Better Nutrition Governance in Cebu

For Governor Baricuatro, addressing malnutrition means looking beyond nutrition-specific interventions and confronting the broader conditions that shape nutrition outcomes, including poverty, food insecurity, access to health services, and the availability of nutritious food. “Zero Hunger should be integrated in the whole Comprehensive Nutrition Action Plan because food security should be prioritized too—they are interrelated.”

The Executive Session, held at the Executive Conference Room of the Provincial Capitol, brought together provincial health and nutrition officials, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) Region VII, the Department of Health Center for Health Development Region VII, ZFF, and LPP to examine Cebu’s nutrition situation and identify concrete actions for the provincial government.

Photo above: Provincial health and nutrition officials, national government agencies, and development partners gather at the Provincial Capitol Executive Conference Room for the ZFF-LPP Executive Session on Cebu’s nutrition situation.

Cebu’s nutrition challenge: beyond the numbers

Dr. Sheila Faciol, Provincial Health Officer II, presented the province’s nutrition situation, highlighting both progress and persistent gaps in financing, human resources, service delivery, and nutrition outcomes.

Cebu’s scale makes the challenge particularly significant. The province is composed of 44 municipalities, six cities, and 1,066 barangays, with a population of more than 3.4 million.

The province has also allocated substantial resources to health, with health programs accounting for around 40.8 percent of the provincial budget. However, nutrition-specific spending has historically faced challenges in utilization. Following previous underspending from the original Php 100 million nutrition allocation, the 2026 budget was adjusted to Php 75 million. At the same time, budget utilization has improved, reaching 65.6 percent as of September 2026.

The discussion underscored, however, that nutrition-specific investments alone cannot solve malnutrition. Nutrition-sensitive interventions, including food security, water and sanitation, social protection, agriculture, education, livelihood, and poverty reduction, must also form part of Cebu’s strategy.

This is particularly important given the province’s continuing burden of child stunting. Recent data show that Cebu continues to account for the country’s highest magnitude of stunting cases. The province recorded 20,659 stunted children, highlighting the scale of the challenge despite recent progress in reducing the number of affected children. The magnitude of the problem, coupled with Cebu’s large and geographically diverse population, reinforces the need for a response that is strategic, targeted, and coordinated across government.

Targeting where the need is greatest

For Governor Baricuatro, the response must begin with identifying where the burden is greatest, and then directing resources and partnerships toward those communities.

Following the presentation, the Governor supported a whole-of-government approach focused initially on the 10 local government units (LGUs) with the highest magnitude of stunting, which together account for nearly half of the province’s total cases. These communities also represent areas where poverty and geographic accessibility remain significant barriers to health and nutrition services. “We identify where they are, and then we will partner with them.”

The approach reflects a shift toward data-informed prioritization, where interventions and resources are concentrated in communities with the greatest burden and the greatest barriers to accessing services.

The Governor also emphasized that malnutrition cannot be viewed simply as a feeding problem. “Poverty incidence is directly related to nutrition outcomes delivery. This is not merely a feeding program.” Her proposed Zero Hunger initiative reinforces this perspective by placing food security alongside nutrition as a central concern of the provincial government.

Photo above: Dr. Niño Archie Labordo, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator, NNC-7

From political commitment to nutrition governance

Dr. Manuel Dayrit, Chairman of ZFF, emphasized that Cebu’s nutrition challenge is multifactorial and therefore requires a multifaceted response. He pointed to four critical areas that must come together: financing, information, human resources, and technical capacity.

The province needs to know where children are being affected, ensure that resources reach those communities, strengthen the workforce, including Barangay Nutrition Workers, and equip local governments with the technical knowledge necessary to respond effectively. He also commended the province’s move toward a 12-month operational plan and stressed the importance of rallying mayors behind the provincial nutrition agenda. “You really have to rally the mayors with you on this advocacy.”

Dr. Joyce Ann Viar, Nutrition Director of ZFF, presented the Foundation’s 8 Critical Knobs of Nutrition Governance as a framework for strengthening the systems that enable local governments to deliver better nutrition outcomes. These include: 

• Strong governance structures for health and nutrition;
• Sustained strategic planning and financing for nutrition;
• An adequate and competent health and nutrition workforce;
• Responsive information management systems and community feedback mechanisms; and
• Competent LGU officials and staff in nutrition governance.

These governance mechanisms support interventions such as First 1,000 Days client-centered care, healthier diets at the community and household level, and behavior-centered approaches to food, health, and nutrition.

For Cebu, the challenge is therefore not simply to introduce another nutrition program, but to build the governance conditions that allow nutrition and food-security interventions to reach families consistently and at scale.

Photo above: ZFF Chairman Dr. Manuel Dayrit

Bringing nutrition to the grassroots

Governor Baricuatro expressed her commitment to strengthening collaboration among the provincial government, LGUs, national government agencies, and development and private-sector partners. “That is why we are here, and we want to focus on serving whatever programs we have at the national, and private sector—making sure that we can reach the grassroots, right away.”

The session also surfaced opportunities to bring nutrition interventions closer to households. Among these is the potential establishment of community kitchens at the barangay level, particularly in areas where households face difficulties accessing nutritious food. Rather than functioning solely as feeding sites, the proposed community kitchens could become community-based spaces where families can access and learn to prepare healthy, nutritious, and affordable food. ZFF will explore potential private-sector partnerships, including through its existing engagements with the Jollibee Foundation and the League of Corporate Foundations, to help advance this initiative.

The discussion also highlighted opportunities to strengthen nutrition interventions among adolescents and young mothers, including schools and youth caravans targeting nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and addressing concerns around teenage pregnancies. Emerging concerns around vaccine hesitancy and community trust were likewise recognized as issues requiring stronger engagement at the local level.

Strengthening the provincial nutrition workforce

The Governor also recognized that stronger nutrition outcomes will require a stronger local workforce. As part of the province’s commitment, Governor Baricuatro expressed support for hiring a nutritionist-dietitian within the provincial government who can be deployed to municipalities and cities. The proposed investment responds to identified gaps in human resources, including medical doctors, Municipal Nutrition Action Officers, and barangay health and nutrition workers. Strengthening this workforce will be essential in ensuring that provincial plans translate into sustained action within communities.

Photo above: Governor Pamela Baricuatro joins ZFF, LPP, NNC-7, and provincial officials in a show of shared commitment to Cebu’s Zero Hunger agenda.

Institutionalizing the provincial response

The Executive Session also highlighted the importance of institutionalizing nutrition governance within the provincial government. Among the proposed next steps is the strengthening of the Provincial Nutrition Council, supported by a provincial ordinance and executive order that will establish the technical working group and identify focal persons across sectors to take action on malnutrition.

The experience of Sarangani, which has undergone eight years of strengthening nutrition governance through leadership, organizational structures, policy environment, resource capacity, and political commitment, also provided a reference point for Cebu.

For Governor Baricuatro, this institutionalization is critical because nutrition often competes with other priorities at the local level. The challenge, therefore, is to make nutrition and food security a sustained political and development priority, not simply an activity implemented when resources or programs become available.

A shared commitment for Cebu

The Executive Session underscored a shared understanding: Cebu’s nutrition challenge cannot be solved by one office, one program, or one sector. The province has an opportunity to build on recent progress while directing greater attention to the communities where the burden remains highest.

Governor Baricuatro’s proposal to integrate Zero Hunger into Cebu’s Comprehensive Nutrition Action Plan provides a broader platform for bringing together food security, nutrition, health, poverty reduction, and local governance. The next challenge is to translate this commitment into action: identify where the need is greatest, bring the right partners together, strengthen local capacity, and ensure that resources reach the grassroots.

For Cebu, the ambition is not simply to reduce the number of children affected by malnutrition. It is to address the conditions that produce malnutrition in the first place, and build a provincial system capable of sustaining that response. At the heart of this effort is a clear direction from the Governor: Zero Hunger must become part of Cebu’s collective response to malnutrition, because ensuring that families have access to nutritious food is inseparable from ensuring that children have the opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive.

Photos from: Provincial Government of Cebu

Author: Samantha Morales, ZFF Nutrition Knowledge Management and Communications Associate