THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) today released a Pastoral Letter, “Responding to the Crisis in Nutrition and Early Childhood Development”, issued from the 130th Plenary Assembly in Anda, Bohol, underscoring the critical education crisis facing Filipino children.
“We have a moral obligation to care for children who are God’s heritage (Psalm 127:3). They are the future of our nation. We must recognize this as a crisis that demands urgent and serious action. To delay, ignore, or fail to respond to the basic needs of our children is to delay the progress of our nation’s future. More than infrastructure or arms, we must prioritize our youth and their education”, the pastoral letter reads.
The CBCP’s letter prominently highlights key issues previously identified in EDCOM II’s report, revealing alarming statistics about child well-being in the Philippines. The nation has one of the highest rates of stunting globally among children under five at 26.7%, a figure higher than the global average of 22.3%, and one that has shown little improvement since 2000. This pervasive stunting is primarily rooted in undernutrition during pregnancy, a lack of nutritious food in the first 1,000 days of life, and persistent child illnesses. These factors lead to devastating, long-lasting effects on cognitive development and learning capacity, and also serve as a stark manifestation of inequity, with only a mere 25% of Filipino children aged 6-12 months meeting recommended energy intake, and many more deficient in protein and healthy fats essential for physical growth and development.
Furthermore, the participation of parents and communities in the education of children aged 0 to 4 is alarmingly low, with only 21% for ages 3-4 and even lower rates for ages 0 to 2. Many parents and caregivers do not engage in early stimulation activities, and only half of children are regularly read to with stories, failing to adequately address their holistic well-being.
A concerning lack of infrastructure compounds these issues, as 5,800 barangays nationwide still lack child development centers, despite a law mandating their establishment since 1990, with most of these being in the poorest communities. The consequences of these foundational issues are dire for educational outcomes: 48% of Grade 1 to 3 students are not prepared for their grade level, 80% of Grade 3 students struggle with fundamental math skills such as multiplication, division, and geometry, and 30% are functionally illiterate.
EDCOM II stands with the CBCP in their urgent appeal to all government agencies, legislators, and local governments to take immediate and decisive action. The shared proposed actions include prioritizing and fully funding programs that enhance the nutrition of pregnant women and children aged 0–4, ensuring equitable access to nutritious food, especially for poor and marginalized families. It is also crucial to intentionally expand access to early childhood education, guaranteeing every child, regardless of economic status, an opportunity for early stimulation (ages 0–2) and early education (ages 3–4).
Additionally, there is an immediate need to invest in establishing child development centers and early learning opportunities in every barangay, with a particular focus on low-income communities. The CBCP’s letter also calls upon Catholic institutions and organizations to launch comprehensive awareness campaigns about stunting, refocus feeding programs on the earliest years of childhood to address complete nutritional needs, establish early education programs in parochial schools where community centers are absent, actively share vital information on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) with parents, and form active partnerships with local governments and community leaders, especially in areas with the highest stunting rates.
“The children of our nation depend on us to fix the foundations of our struggling educational system. They deserve a brighter future—and only through our immediate commitment and actions can this be realized”, the pastoral letter continued.
Yee noted that the CBCP’s call is a powerful reinforcement of the Commission’s findings and underscores the critical urgency of this crisis. The future of the nation, Yee emphasized, hinges on the well-being and education of children, and “we cannot afford to delay.” EDCOM II will continue to work tirelessly with all stakeholders, including Catholic institutions and organizations, to ensure these vital programs are funded and implemented effectively.
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