KORONADAL CITY — The Provincial Government of South Cotabato has expressed concern over the rising number of malnourished children in the province, based on data from the Department of Education (DepEd).

In an interview with TopGun Radio Koronadal, Provincial Information Officer and Provincial Nutrition Action Officer (PNAO) Rudy S. Jimenea said the 2024 Nutritional Status Report of the South Cotabato Division showed that the province’s malnutrition rate among school-aged children climbed to 14.86 percent. The data was sourced from DepEd’s regional and central offices.

Jimenea admitted that the figures came as a surprise, noting that DepEd had a budget of more than P74 million for nutrition-related programs, compared to the P4.8 million annual allocation of the Provincial Government. The provincial fund covers nutrition programs, the honoraria of Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS), and various training activities.

He also expressed alarm over the continued increase in malnutrition cases, emphasizing that it goes against the administration’s goal under Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr. to eradicate malnutrition in the province. “Every statistic represents a person — a child whose well-being must be protected,” Jimenea said.

The PNAO clarified that the Provincial Government focuses on nutrition programs for pre-school children, while DepEd is responsible for the health and nutrition of its enrolled learners.

Jimenea shared that the province aims to keep the malnutrition rate among pre-schoolers below 1 percent. In 2023, the prevalence of wasted and severely wasted children was 0.44 percent, which dropped to 0.36 percent in 2024 but slightly rose to 0.38 percent this year.