Not One More Death Due to Malnutrition: Mayor George Falgui of Kiamba

In August 2022, just over a month into his term, Mayor George Falgui first learned about the serious nutrition issues in Kiamba, Sarangani. As a first-time mayor, he did not expect the extent of the problem.

During Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Municipal Nutrition Governance Program (MNGP) training, Dr. Arvin Alejandro, the Provincial Nutrition Action Officer, presented a health report. The report shocked Mayor Falgui—1,668 children in his town were stunted, meaning their growth was permanently affected by malnutrition. Kiamba had the third highest stunting rate in Region 12, at 22.54%.

One story that stuck with him was about a girl named ‘Shiela’. She was two and a half years old, severely underweight, and stunted. Though she received treatment for pneumonia, her family was too poor to sustain her nutrition needs. Sadly, Shiela died in 2020. “During her treatment, everything appeared to be going well for her, but then she acquired aspiration pneumonia,” Dr. Alejandro shared. Two of her nine siblings had already died from malnutrition. This hit home for Mayor Falgui—Kiamba’s health system had to do more, and fast.

The Challenge of Kiamba

Kiamba, a town of about 65,774 people, is in Sarangani, bordered by mountains and the sea. This makes accessing health services difficult. Most people depend on farming, but poverty remains high. Nearly a third of the population belongs to Indigenous groups, while the rest of the population are an intricate mix of languages and cultures. Only two out of 19 barangays are considered geographically isolated, but many areas still lack access to basic services due to the tough terrain.

In 2022, Mayor Falgui faced an uphill battle in his election. But his background in veterinary medicine and work in sales taught him the value of persistence. “I ran in the elections with no sufficient funds; my greatest capital was goodness to the people—especially the unwanted or neglected ones.”

As a mayor, he decided to open his leadership to new partnerships, especially in health and nutrition. He quickly embraced ZFF’s Nutrition Governance Program, hoping to tackle Kiamba’s malnutrition problem head-on.

A Deep Dive into the Problem

In November 2022, Mayor Falgui and his team participated in a Deep Dive activity, a guided community immersion, facilitated by ZFF. During the Deep Dive, they met ‘Nico’, an eight-month-old boy living in an isolated area. Nico weighed only 4.5 kilograms—severely underweight and stunted. His family lived on a meager income of 3,000 pesos per month, and his siblings were barely surviving.

This experience drove home the urgency of the situation for Mayor Falgui. Nutrition could not be seen as just a health issue; it was a community-wide problem that needed every sector’s involvement. The Deep Dive inspired a new push to track and support malnourished children and at-risk mothers.

Taking Action

Mayor Falgui and his team began focusing on three key areas: leadership, human resources, and financing. They strengthened collaboration between the executive and legislative branches, with the mayor appointing Dr. Antonio Yasaña, a former provincial health officer, to lead the town’s nutrition efforts.

They created a Municipal Nutrition Action Officer (MNAO) position to provide more focus on the problem. Mayor Falgui also oversaw the increase in the town’s nutrition budget from just 1 million pesos to nearly 10 million in 2023.

The mayor appointed Ronilyne Grace Moneva, a registered nurse with experience in nutrition, for the position of MNAO. Under her leadership, nutrition efforts accelerated. All barangays developed nutrition action plans, secured funding for projects, and formed Barangay Nutrition Councils.

Kiamba also held a three-day Nutrition Summit in October 2023, gathering barangay leaders and nutrition workers. The mayor laid out his vision and got barangays to develop their own nutrition plans, linking them to the municipality’s larger goals.

Interventions for Change

Kiamba’s approach became multi-sectoral. The Agriculture Office prioritized providing chickens and vegetable gardening kits to families with malnourished children, giving them access to a stable protein source. The Social Welfare Office involved families in the ‘Cash for Work’ program, helping them earn a living while contributing to public works.

In 2023, Kiamba was selected as one of 275 municipalities for the World Bank-funded Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP). This brought additional resources for nutrition, including medical equipment, new staff, and more community support. During the PMNP Mayors Forum, Mayor Falgui shared, “Without ZFF, I wouldn’t have realized that my leadership is crucial in driving impact—not just in terms of numbers, but in saving every life at stake against malnutrition.”

Hope for the Future

Kiamba saw its stunting rate drop from 22.54% in 2018 to 8.34% in 2023 and 6.96% in 2024. But Mayor Falgui isn’t satisfied yet. He’s committed to bringing the number down even more. Among the ongoing initiatives is the Triple A+ Kiamba Cares project, which has been a catalyst of behavior changes in food, health, and sanitation among the Kiambahanons.

“Though we still have red flags, our goal is to minimize them as much as possible,” he said.

With continued efforts from all sectors, Kiamba is hopeful that there will be no more deaths like Shiela’s.