The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) and the Department of Health (DOH)-Eastern Visayas formalized its continuing collaboration to strengthen family health and nutrition in the region. On October 29, 2025, ZFF President and Executive Director Austere Panadero and DOH-Eastern Visayas Regional Director Dr. Exuperia Sabalberino signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the implementation of the Pook Malusog Family Stunting Reduction (FaStR) Program. 

The Pook Malusog FaStR Program focuses on supporting families during the first 1,000 days (F1KD) of life—a crucial period for a child’s growth and development. It seeks to strengthen the knowledge and practices of families in preventing stunting, while enhancing the leadership and technical capacity of health and nutrition frontliners.

Through this partnership, the Pook Malusog FaStR Program will be piloted in four municipalities of Eastern Visayas: Gandara and San Jose De Buan in Samar Province, and Mapanas and Lope De Vega in Northern Samar Province from 2025 to 2026.

Under the agreement, ZFF will provide coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance to DOH-Eastern Visayas and the pilot municipalities to guide them in effectively implementing the Pook Malusog FaStR model. By working together to localize the Pook Malusog approach, both institutions aim to build lasting systems of care that empower families, strengthen local leadership, and sustain progress in reducing child stunting across Eastern Visayas.

Recognizing the critical importance of nutrition during the First 1000 Days of life for a child’s health and development, the Zuellig Family Foundation and Nutritional International commissioned a survey to assess health and nutrition service delivery and outcomes in Puerto Princesa City, Tacurong City, and Tagum City to support their project on developing urban nutrition systems in the Philippines.

Once marked by conflict and instability, the Province of Basilan is now making progress in improving health and nutrition outcomes for young children. 

Through strong local leadership and a decade of partnership with the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), Basilan has strengthened systems for maternal and child health, food security, and early childhood care—especially during the critical First 1,000 Days (F1KD) of life.

ZFF shared this experience during the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) Conference 2025. Speaking on a panel hosted by the Tanoto Foundation, ZFF presented how their work in Basilan has transformed early childhood outcomes through governance-focused approaches. Using the Foundation’s Bridging Leadership approach and Health Change Model, ZFF helped local leaders address gaps in health and nutrition despite the province’s complex and fragile context.

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• Municipal Leaders in Basilan Enhance Nutrition Governance through Zuellig Family Foundation Training

The Basilan Assistance Program (BAP), which built on earlier gains from the Provincial Nutrition Governance Program, trained governors and mayors to co-create local solutions, increase community participation, and strengthen service delivery. As part of the program, 255 barangays deployed community health workers to monitor and support pregnant women and malnourished children. Ten of the thirteen mayors underwent leadership and technical training further embedding nutrition priorities in local governance.

Between 2023 and 2024, stunting among children aged 0–2 dropped by 6.26 percentage points—from 16.74% to 10.48%. Wasting rates also declined, reflecting better capacity to prevent and manage acute malnutrition. Nutrition funding rose nearly fourfold, from 7.2 million pesos in 2021 to 27 million pesos in 2024. These improvements directly support brain development, emotional regulation, and school readiness—giving Basilan’s children a stronger start in life.

Basilan’s transformation shows that inclusive, equity-driven, and locally led programs can thrive even in post-conflict settings. “When we had peace, we now have the mental space to plan beyond the day after tomorrow,” said former Basilan Governor, now Vice Governor, Jim Hataman Salliman. 

“We can now be more strategic and focus our investment in health and nutrition, which was not prioritized before.”

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) continues to strengthen local nutrition governance through its flagship initiative, Pook Malusog, which empowers provincial leaders to lead multisectoral efforts in addressing malnutrition. 

With its long-standing belief that health and nutrition outcomes improve when local chief executives take ownership, ZFF works closely with governors, mayors, and frontline workers to ensure that leadership, planning, and systems are aligned to support families, especially during the First 1,000 Days (F1KD) of a child’s life.

ZFF shared its experiences and insights during the Webinar on a Weekday  (WoW!) session organized by the Philippine Stakeholders for Nutrition and Dietetics, Inc. (PSND) last July 11, 2025. The webinar, titled “Make or Break! How Will Your Newly Elected Officials Impact Nutrition in Your Community?” aimed to raise awareness on nutrition as a governance issue and encourage stronger local leadership in prioritizing nutrition.

Cecilio Adorna, Senior Fellow at Stratan LLC, opened the session by sharing national-level trends in child wasting and stunting. He pointed out that recent gains—such as the decline of stunting from 33.4% in 2015 to 23.6% in 2023—were driven by increased local government unit (LGU) engagement and policy support. “We should celebrate,” he said, “but also determine what was done right. The giant in the room is the LGU. The more we mobilize and support them, the more we can intensify progress.”

Dr. Joyce Ann Viar, ZFF’s Nutrition Director, stressed the governance gaps that continue to hinder progress: “Malnutrition remains a serious issue. Mataas pa rin po ang stunting and wasting sa bansa. One of the key reasons is the lack of coordination and accountability at the local level.” She shared how ZFF’s Provincial Nutrition Governance Program (PNGP) helps address these gaps by building the capacity of governors and their teams through coaching, training, and Deep Dive—a guided community immersion activity.

Austere Panadero, ZFF President and Executive Director, added, “What nutrition governance really requires is clear leadership. Kung hindi malinaw sa LGU, mahihirapan ang programa.” He urged continued investment in nutrition, citing that visible gains must be sustained and scaled by empowering more LGUs.

Through its Eight Critical Knobs of Nutrition Governance, ZFF promotes a comprehensive, system-wide approach to improving maternal and child nutrition. In Sarangani and Samar, stronger local leadership has led to improved nutrition policies, increased investments, better coordination across departments, and more empowered communities.

“We saw consistent improvement in nutrition outcomes in provinces that prioritized and strengthened these knobs,” said Dr. Viar. “Sana mapalago pa. More LGUs will be inspired or interested to enroll in the program.”