Provinces and highly urbanized cities with high stunting rates among children below five years old also suffer from low literacy rates, Senator Win Gatchalian flagged.

He raised this concern during a hearing on the results of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), which also revealed that 18.96 million Filipinos remain functionally illiterate. The Year 2 report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) earlier noted that one in four Filipino children under 5 years old experiences stunting.

To address the twin challenges of stunting and illiteracy, Gatchalian urged the Department of Education, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the National Nutrition Council to ensure that targeted nutrition interventions complement early childhood and basic education literacy programs.

”Nutrition and literacy are closely correlated. One way to break the cycle of illiteracy is to make sure that our children receive proper nourishment. When children get the proper nutrition they need, they study better, learn better, and become functionally literate,” Gatchalian said.

He also reiterated the need to establish local literacy councils in local government units to combat illiteracy.