The Department of the Interior and Local Government will fast-track the rollout of early childhood care and development programs at the local level, including a proposed feeding initiative aimed at addressing malnutrition and stunting among young children.

During Senate Committee on Finance deliberations on the DILG’s proposed 2027 budget, Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the department plans to mobilize local government units to strengthen early childhood care and development services, particularly nutrition programs for children aged 5 and below.

“A large part of [our effort] is the feeding program that we will have for the children. We will get meals ready to eat, prepacked, and just heated in the respective barangays,” Remulla said.

He said standardized ready-to-eat meals could make the program more cost-efficient while ensuring more consistent nutritional value across communities.

“The nutritional value will be more efficiently distributed to the children at a lower cost than to cook it manually over the 42,000 barangays in the country,” Remulla said.

Under Republic Act 12199, or the Early Childhood Care and Development System Act, the DILG serves as ex-officio co-chairperson of the ECCD Council and plays a key role in strengthening the implementation of early childhood programs at the local level.

Remulla said the department will work with LGUs to turn the law into concrete community-based programs covering nutrition, early education, parental involvement, human resource development and monitoring.

Under the DILG’s proposed P332.5 billion budget for 2027, funding for the ECCD Council is intended to support capacity-building programs, the monitoring of child development centers and the accreditation of ECCD service providers, among other initiatives.

Remulla said strengthening early childhood care at the barangay level is crucial to ensuring children receive proper nutrition, care and developmental support during their formative years, regardless of where they live.