As part of the Zuellig Family Foundation’s (ZFF) Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP), Tarlac Governor Christian Yap took part in a guided community immersion, known as Deep Dive, to better understand the realities of malnutrition in the province’s most isolated areas. NutriLEAP, supported by the League of Provinces of the Philippines, helps provincial leaders strengthen leadership and governance to address malnutrition, especially among the most vulnerable communities.

The Deep Dive brought the Governor to two remote communities, where he met families and listened to their stories. “It was more intimate in terms of engaging with their needs and wants,” Governor Yap shared during the debrief. “I’m exposed to these areas, but to really get a deeper grasp on their health issues, their eating habits, their monetary habits, it’s different.”

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ZFF designed the Deep Dive to help leaders encounter the current reality “facially and frontally”. Guided by the Bridging Leadership Framework, the immersion encouraged reflection on how systems work—or fail—at the household level. For Governor Yap, the experience reinforced the urgency of improving nutrition, especially during the first 1,000 days (F1KD) of a child’s life.

“They really show how we can intervene in their growth, in their nutrition, in their health,” he said. “How can we extend services more proactively, especially in the critical stages of the young ones?”

The visit also revealed how geography and access shape people’s choices. Families live hours away from the city, often without reliable roads, water, or sanitation facilities. Livelihoods depend on fishing or seasonal farm work. Despite these challenges, Governor Yap noticed opportunities to engage communities more effectively.

“There’s Facebook, there’s internet there,” he noted. “So how do we reach out? If there’s something to learn, they’re immediately engaged.”

At the same time, the Governor recognized that government resources are limited, making prioritization essential. “As much as we want to address everyone and help everybody, the resources are limited,” he said. “So how do you make it more efficient? How do you target those ones who are really in dire need?”

For him, the response must combine short-term and long-term actions. In the immediate term, he stressed the need to address severe malnutrition among young children.

“We have to address it now,” Governor Yap said. “If we do not address it, this has long-term permanent effects on their growth.”

He pointed to sustained feeding programs as a necessary step, even as longer-term solutions take shape. “While we’re growing their gardens or building that behavior, we’re still addressing the current problem now,” he explained. “At least we have action plans in the next months that we can implement.”

Looking ahead, he shared a clear aspiration: to make nutrition a lasting priority in Tarlac, beyond any single administration. “I want it institutionalized,” he said. “Whoever is the governor, it’s a continuing social program targeting malnutrition.”

Through NutriLEAP, ZFF continues to support leaders in turning these encounters into action, grounded in reality, guided by empathy, and focused on building systems that truly work for those who need them most.

“What I want to leave is a system that works even if we are not here. Even if there is a leadership change that does not prioritize nutrition, the institution is still effectively delivering the nutritional programs that are needed by the province.”

Tarlac Governor Christian Yap shared this vision during the Executive Session for Governors (ESG) held on December 11, 2025, at the Provincial Capitol in Tarlac City. The session formed part of the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP).

Austere Panadero, ZFF President and Executive Director, opened the conversations by stressing that good nutrition is only possible when different sectors work together. Referring to ZFF’s 8 Critical Knobs for Nutrition Governance, he said, “The challenge is you don’t really handle one knob at a time, but to move all at the same time to find the mix of interventions that will move your strategy forward… to get all the towns and barangays to be part of the entire process.”

Prof. Hadji Balajadia of Ateneo de Davao University, who serves as a ZFF consultant, facilitated the session and guided Governor Yap and the participating heads of provincial offices to reflect on their own roles in improving nutrition. Using the Bridging Leadership Framework, they walked the participants through Ownership, Co-Ownership, and Co-Creation as steps toward shared solutions.

As the discussions deepened, Governor Yap explained how Tarlac is working toward a system grounded in evidence and sustainability. “We can spend so much, we can do so many feeding programs, but we don’t know if it is delivering results if there is no measure. Tarlac is okay in terms of the rankings nationally, but we are not content with what we have, and still want to improve.”

Together with the Governor, the heads of provincial offices identified key actions across major sectors:

• Health and Nutrition: Shift from reactive to preventive care; improve nutrition services for vulnerable groups; focus on early childhood nutrition and brain development; support caregivers with livelihood opportunities.

• Youth and Adolescents: Address teenage pregnancy; create youth-centered programs including peer counseling and community outreach; implement mental and reproductive health initiatives in schools.
• Education: Continue and expand school-based feeding programs; involve local government units (LGUs) to assist teachers in meal preparation; strengthen daycare programs for literacy, nutrition, and holistic child development.
• Agriculture and Food Security: Promote sustainable farming, reduce chemical inputs, and diversify crops; increase farmers’ income while ensuring nutritious food production; adopt long-term, environmentally responsible practices.
• Collaborative and Institutional: Build partnerships across health, social welfare, education, and agriculture sectors; use local and national data for planning; expand feeding, wellness, and youth programs to underserved areas.

With shared goals and practical steps ahead, Tarlac’s leaders hope to bring their vision of a Pook Malusog to life—a province where every child, every family, in every community, can grow healthy and well.