Isabela de Basilan draws strength from its diversity. The city is home to 130,379 people who speak Chavacano, Tausug, Yakan, and other languages. Many residents practice Islam, while others come from Indigenous and Christian communities. This mix of cultures now shapes how the city delivers family planning (FP) and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) services.

In August 2023, Isabela de Basilan joined The Challenge Initiative (TCI), implemented in the Philippines by the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF). TCI supports local governments in strengthening FP and AYSRH programs. Earlier that year, Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, known as Mayor Dadah, had already set the direction. In February 2023, she signed Executive Order No. 005, creating the City Leadership Team (CLT) to guide and coordinate reforms across the city.

Instead of treating faith and culture as obstacles, city leaders chose to work with them.

Related article:

• Nine Cities Recognized as Global Self-Reliant Cities in Reproductive Health
• Ang Pamilyang Planado, Panalo: Isabela de Basilan’s Efforts in Family Planning

Naming the Challenges

In October 2023, 21 members of the CLT took part in a Program Design Workshop. During the sessions, they openly examined gaps in the local health system. By November 2023, the team translated these discussions into an approved Work and Financial Plan.

The workshop surfaced several concerns:

• Governance gaps: The city lacked a permanent body focused on FP and AYSRH. Offices worked in silos, and the city had no digital health information system.
• Service delivery issues: Health workers needed more training to counsel clients and provide modern contraceptive methods such as Progestin Subdermal Implants (PSI) and Intrauterine Devices (IUDs). Island communities struggled with irregular access to supplies. The city also had too few Levels 1 and 2 Adolescent-Friendly Health Facilities (AFHF).
• Social and cultural barriers: Advocacy activities reached only some communities. Early marriage and teenage pregnancy remained sensitive and deeply rooted concerns.
• Youth support gaps: The city had limited numbers of trained peer educators and safe spaces where adolescents could seek help.

These gaps affected island and remote communities the most.

The city united around a shared vision: “By 2029, young Isabeleños will be empowered, responsible, well-informed and engaged in AYSRH and FP with good governance and through a collaborative, intercultural, and sustainable approach towards living their lives to the fullest.”

Using Technology to Improve Care

The city strengthened its response by adopting Wireless Access for Health (WAH), a digital platform that now serves as its first Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system. Health workers now use real-time data, track family planning counseling sessions more accurately, and link records with PhilHealth eClaims.

Health indicators show early progress. Since 2020, the adolescent birth rate has steadily declined and remains within the national target of fewer than 37 births per 1,000 adolescents. Although the modern contraceptive prevalence rate has not yet reached the 30% benchmark, earlier gains point to strong potential if the city sustains its investments.

Creating Space for Faith and Dialogue

In 2024, during the 2nd Indigenous Peoples Celebration, the city organized its first Adolescent Pregnancy Summit under the theme “Empowering Leaders: Indigenous Voices in Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention.” The event brought together community leaders, Islamic scholars, and health advocates for open and respectful dialogue.

Atty. Nur-Aiza Gagarra, Provincial Cooperative Officer and FP champion, presented “Early Pregnancy and Islamic Belief (Fatwa)” and linked Islamic teachings with Republic Act No. 11596. Jasmin Teodoro, Executive Director of Pinay Kilos Inc., led sessions on AYSRH and facilitated a “speed dating” activity to help participants practice healthy communication.

Participants ended the summit with a hand-painting ceremony led by Miriam Suacito, Executive Director of Nagdilaab Foundation Inc., to affirm their shared commitment to protecting young people.

Letting Young People Lead

The Local Youth Development Office and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation mobilized youth groups, especially on Malamawi Island, to address early pregnancy and other adolescent concerns. SK chairpersons allocated funds through their Comprehensive Barangay Youth Development Plans and Annual Barangay Youth Investment Programs.

These investments strengthened Teen Centers, School-Based Teen Centers, and the Information Service Delivery Network (ISDN) for Adolescent Health and Development. These spaces allow adolescents to seek services without fear or judgment and help peer educators reach other young people in culturally sensitive ways.

Building Systems That Respect Diversity

Today, the CLT functions as a strong coordinating body. City offices use Gender and Development (GAD) funds to sustain programs across communities. At the same time, the EMR system records not only medical data but also language needs and cultural considerations, helping providers deliver more responsive care.

Isabela de Basilan shows that cities can pair modern systems with cultural respect. Its experience proves that progress does not require communities to abandon their beliefs. Instead, it calls on health systems to listen, adapt, and work closely with the people they serve.

At 18th Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jennifer Nandu, Nutrition Project Expert at Zuellig Family Foundation, shared how Basilan improved its nutrition outcomes by strengthening local governance. She described how communities used peace gains to expand access to services and demonstrated how good leadership allows nutrition to become a meaningful dividend of peace.

ZFF Presentation_APRU Basilan

This poster presented at the Evidence and Implementation Summit 2025, held October 27–29, 2025 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia, showcases the First 1,000 Days (F1KD) Nutrition Roadmap. The roadmap guides local governments in strengthening maternal and child nutrition by applying the World Health Organization (WHO)’s health system building blocks and the Zuellig Family Foundation’s Eight Critical Knobs of Nutrition Governance.

From 2019–2022, the roadmap improved governance, planning, financing, data use, and service delivery across five priority provinces under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) through a structured systems review and adaptive learning tools. It enabled local governments to act more cohesively, use evidence effectively, and integrate stronger strategies into their Provincial Nutrition Action Plans (PNAPs). While the country reduced stunting rates nationally, ongoing malnutrition and food insecurity underscore the need to further strengthen multisectoral and locally driven nutrition systems.

Read more:

• From Evidence to Action: Strengthening Nutrition Governance through the First 1,000 Days Roadmap

ZFF Poster_F1KD Nutrition Roadmap

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) continues to promote shared learning and collaboration through the Pook Malusog Community of Practice (CoP), a platform that enables local government units (LGUs) to exchange experiences, innovations, and lessons on nutrition leadership and governance. 

Held on October 7, 2025, this year’s conference, themed “Healthy Beginnings, Stronger Tomorrows: Advancing Nutrition Resilience from the First 2,000 Days and Beyond,” gathered local chief executives, local legislative council members, health and nutrition action workers, volunteers, private sector partners, representatives from the academe, and national government agencies, including Regional Nutrition Program Coordinators of the National Nutrition Council.

Participants from the five alumni provinces of the Pook Malusog Provincial Nutrition Governance Program (PNGP), Siargao Islands, and Manila shared how leadership and governance can build sustainable nutrition systems that remain strong despite political changes and crises.

The program featured three main plenary discussions and breakout learning sessions:

• Generating Sustained Political Commitment for Nutrition. Shared experiences from the PNGP cohort (Northern Samar, Samar, Basilan, Zamboanga del Norte, and Sarangani) on translating political will into institutionalized systems. This panel discussion highlighted key leadership acts that established institutional arrangements, policies, and plans and budgets that enabled these provinces to reduce malnutrition prevalence and strengthen mechanisms to sustain these improvements on the ground.
• Building Resilient Nutrition Systems, the TRANSFORM (Transdisciplinary Approach for Resilient and Sustainable Communities) Experience. Showcased how leaders in Siargao Islands, Surigao del Norte and the Caraga Region strengthened resilience through people-centered, data-driven approaches, noting that resilience is a continuous process of transformation.
• Beyond the First 1,000 Days, Seamless Pathways to the First 2,000 Days. Featured the municipality of Malungon, Sarangani and the provinces of Basilan and Sarangani, responding to what’s next after F1KD efforts, centering on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in ensuring continuity of care and support for children beyond infancy.

• Breakout Sessions: Scaling Innovation, Strengthening Systems. Focused on ZFF’s key programs—Pook Malusog Dashboard, ZFF’s health and nutrition information system (HNIS), and the Family Stunting Reduction (FaStR) program, a family-centered approach to addressing malnutrition. LGU implementers sat on the panel and responded to questions from participants, sharing ongoing learnings and best practices from pilot implementations, as well as their priority actions moving forward.

Discussions showed that political will is critical—it sets direction, drives the right systems, and ensures that budgets are allocated for nutrition. But political will must be backed by more support. It needs to evolve into strong, institutionalized systems that can sustain progress across political terms.

Provincial leaders shared how creating permanent positions for nutrition officers, integrating nutrition into local development plans, and mobilizing diverse sectors can embed accountability and continuity. Municipalities, on the other hand, demonstrated how community co-ownership, data utilization, and frontline worker empowerment ensure that nutrition efforts reach even the most vulnerable families.

Nutrition expert, Dr. Cecilia Acuin, in her synthesis, said that nutrition resilience requires long-term, systemic investment. Improving nutrition outcomes must focus on, quoting Mayor Alfredo Coro II of Del Carmen, Siargao Islands, “the least, the last, and the lost”—families and communities that remain hardest to reach. Dr. Acuin pointed out that while political commitment is vital, equally important are strong governance systems, responsive service delivery, and community ownership. “Our focus should be on building systems, not one-time solutions,” she said, calling for convergence among LGUs and partners.

In his keynote message, Dr. Manuel Dayrit, ZFF Chairman, reminded attendees that the CoP represents “a microcosm of what needs to happen nationally: leaders listening, learning, and acting together.” The conference ended with a hopeful call: when leaders and communities work together, every Filipino child can have a healthy beginning and a stronger tomorrow.

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), together with the Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) and Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI), is working closely with local leaders in Basilan to strengthen child health, nutrition, and early education. Recent meetings in Lamitan City and Isabela City highlighted not just enthusiasm for the program, but also important insights on what it will take to make lasting change.

Both cities already have Child Development Centers (CDCs), Child Development Workers (CDWs), and Child Development Teachers (CDTs). But leaders themselves acknowledged key questions: 

• Are these structures enough to reach all families? Is there a strong system that ensures these programs truly work together? 
• And are health, nutrition, and education efforts moving in harmony? 

These reflections signal that the groundwork exists, but gaps remain that need to be understood through the upcoming baselining activities.

Related articles:

• Mayor Oric Furigay of Lamitan City, Basilan: Conquering obstacles to achieve nutrition goals
• Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman of Isabela de Basilan: Strengthening nutrition programs with an empowered leadership

A meaningful insight came from Lamitan City Mayor Oric Furigay, who underscored the rising need to support children with special needs. He asked for help in creating a program for Special Education (SPED) services for children as young as three to five years old. His request reflects not only the reality of increasing cases but also his personal commitment to inclusive child development.

Both mayors pointed out that aligning health, nutrition, and education is essential. They see the value of an integrated approach that supports families from pregnancy to early schooling, ensuring children receive consistent care throughout their early years.

These conversations show that Basilan is not starting from scratch—it already has important resources, leaders who are engaged, and a willingness to collaborate. With ZFF, KCFI, and AFI working alongside local governments, the momentum is growing to transform these insights into action for the benefit of families and children in Basilan.

Author: Joyce Viar, ZFF Nutrition Director

Building foundations for brighter futures: Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) at the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) Conference 2025!

On the second day of ARNEC 2025, July 2, held in Manila, ZFF joined organizations across Asia to share inclusive and innovative approaches to early childhood development (ECD). During a panel on good practices hosted by the Tanoto Foundation, ZFF presented its 10-year journey in Basilan, where it worked with local leaders to improve services for children in their first 1,000 days (F1KD). Through its Bridging Leadership approach and Health Change Model, ZFF helped local governments strengthen systems for health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, and safety—despite the area’s long-standing security challenges.

ZFF’s experience in Basilan demonstrated the value of adaptive, locally-led governance in improving early childhood outcomes, especially in conflict-affected areas. While approaches may differ across countries, inclusive and sustainable ECD begins with collective action rooted in local realities.

Read more insights here

View full presentation here:

ZFF Presentation_ARNEC

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), through the Pook Malusog Community of Practice (CoP), gathered partners to confront one of the toughest issues in nutrition governance: financing. 

Nutrition governance core teams from the provinces of Sarangani, Samar, Northern Samar, Basilan, and Zamboanga del Norte joined the webinar, together with municipal cohort graduates under these provinces. AHON Siargao municipalities and the Manila Health Department also shared their experiences from the ground.

The National Nutrition Council’s Regional Nutrition Program Coordinators and technical staff added their expertise, while consultants Dr. Esmeralda Silva-Javier and Dr. Cecilia Cristina Acuin provided evidence and analysis. ZFF Chairman Dr. Manuel Dayrit offered guidance and reflection. Their participation underscored the Community’s role as a space where local leaders, national agencies, and research partners learn and collaborate to strengthen nutrition systems.

Understanding the Financing Challenge

Dr. Silva-Javier presented findings from a ZFF Case Study on Investments for Nutrition in Sarangani and Northern Samar. The research revealed a persistent mismatch between nutrition responsibilities and the fiscal capacity of local governments. Even with higher budgets—rising from 1 million to 2.75 million pesos annually—up to 90% of Local Nutrition Action Plan activities remain unfunded. Most of the money goes to salaries, leaving little for programs, supplies, and monitoring.

Yet the study confirmed that even modest increases in spending produce measurable improvements. For instance, Northern Samar would need just 250 pesos per capita annually to cut wasting by one percentage point. Sarangani would need 204 pesos. These findings echo global evidence: well-targeted, consistent investments at the frontline can significantly reduce stunting and wasting.

The study also highlighted the role of “enterprising” local chief executives who bridge gaps through creativity and partnerships. Examples include Alabel’s Nutri-bun bakery, Kiamba’s egg distribution, and Gamay’s nutrition trust fund. While promising, Dr. Silva-Javier cautioned that these remain small-scale. Closing the financing gap will require bolder arrangements such as revenue earmarking, trust funds, and strategic purchasing.

Lessons from the Community of Practice

Discussions from the webinar brought out several key insights:

1. The Community of Practice Framework Works. By centering on Purpose, People, and Practice, the Community helps LGUs sustain and expand gains through continuous learning and application.
2. Critical Knobs in Action. Field stories showed how ZFF’s 8 Critical Knobs for Nutrition Governance provide a practical guide for strengthening systems, from institutionalizing nutrition staff to forging cross-sector partnerships.
3. Local Innovations Matter. Enterprising leaders have piloted food processing plants, Nutri-bakeries, egg production, and trust funds, proving that creative solutions can fill gaps.
4. Financing Gaps Remain. Despite local allocations, most plans remain underfunded. Evidence shows, however, that even small but steady investments pay off in nutrition outcomes.
5. Other Factors Count. Socio-economic conditions, maternal education, water and sanitation, disasters, and household income also shape nutrition outcomes. This underlines the need for nutrition-sensitive programs alongside nutrition-specific ones.

Breakout group discussions shed more light on what is working and where challenges remain. Strong leadership from local chief executives, adoption of national policies, and partnerships with communities and donors emerged as effective practices. However, LGUs struggle with unclear budget guidance, limited fiscal space, and the lack of permanent positions for nutrition staff.

Participants emphasized the need for better budget-tagging tools, clearer allocation guidelines, and stronger multi-sectoral planning. They also called for peer-to-peer exchanges to spread successful innovations, from donor-supported feeding programs to local bakeries financing nutrition.

Implications for Nutrition Governance

The webinar made clear that:

1. Provinces must integrate systems, while municipalities deliver services on the ground.
2. Evidence-based decisions strengthen the case for nutrition in fiscal planning.
3. Community ownership and partnerships keep programs sustainable.
4. Clearer financing pathways and national policy guidance are essential.
5. Local leaders must be empowered to design innovative financing strategies.

The Pook Malusog Community of Practice must now focus on sustaining momentum and scaling innovations. Empowering local chief executives to design and advocate new financing arrangements will be crucial, as will expanding peer-to-peer learning that highlights adaptive practices, smart data use, and cross-sectoral collaboration. Providing technical support to help LGUs maximize fiscal space and mobilize resources can ensure that nutrition programs are not only launched but also sustained over time. The Community should also act as a channel for scaling up proven practices from pioneering LGUs to more provinces and municipalities, ensuring that lessons learned do not remain isolated. Finally, engaging national agencies and policy actors is essential to institutionalize sustainable financing pathways, while maintaining spaces for local solutions to flourish.

By linking research, local innovations, and strong leadership, it demonstrates how LGUs can move from scattered efforts to collective strategies. The future of nutrition governance in the Philippines depends not only on increased funding, but also on smarter, evidence-informed, and community-driven use of resources.

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

Empowering communities, strengthening leadership for better health outcomes

About the report

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) Annual Report 2024 shares stories of change, lessons learned, and milestones in improving health outcomes for Filipinos.

Our work in 2024 focused on:

2024 at a glance

ZFF will continue working with provinces, cities, and municipalities to accelerate health reforms, scale nutrition programs, and empower youth and communities.

Read the full report here:

ZFF Annual Report 2024

Download

Download: Audited Financial Statements 2024

From July 28 to 30, 2025, Planning, Budget, Health, and Nutrition Officers from Lamitan City, and from the second batch of the Municipal Nutrition Governance Program (MNGP) representing five Basilan municipalities of Al-Barka, Hadji Muhtamad, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Tabuan Lasa, and Ungkaya Pukan gathered in Zamboanga City for a three-day Local Nutrition Action Planning Workshop.

The workshop focused on one goal: helping each municipality invest in its people’s health, especially children. The theme, Investing for my Municipality’s Future, guided participants in shaping practical and evidence-based Local Nutrition Action Plans (LNAPs).

With support from the Zuellig Family Foundation, the sessions covered nutrition data analysis, problem tree exercises, target-setting, activity planning, and funding strategies. By the end of the workshop, LGUs were on track to finalize strong, multisectoral plans that tackle malnutrition and promote child development.

Related article:

• Better Beginnings in Basilan: Investing in the First 1,000 Days

This aims to support the Basilan HELPS program, the flagship initiative of Governor Mujiv Hataman. HELPS stands for Health, Education and Environmental Protection, Livelihood and Economic Development, Public Safety and Security, and Social Cohesion—key pillars of inclusive development in the province.

Throughout the workshop, Nadzwa Sabandal, Provincial Nutrition Action Officer, and Minsara Muarip, OIC-Provincial Planning and Development Officer, provided guidance grounded in local experience. Their involvement helped ensure that the plans were realistic, responsive, and aligned with provincial goals.

The workshop sent a strong message: nutrition is not just a health agenda, but a key part of local development. It is a shared responsibility across all levels of government.

Author: Rio Fe Del Valle, ZFF Nutrition Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Expert