Philippines Signs IRR for Early Childhood Law, a Year Late Amid Malnutrition Concerns

MANILA, Philippines – The government took a step forward in strengthening early childhood care and development (ECCD) services in the country by signing the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 12199. It was, however, a year late. The ECCD System Act was enacted into law in May 2025, with the IRR deadline set in August last year. Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and ECCD Council Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Teresita Inciong signed the framework to implement the law on Wednesday, August 5. It is much needed after the country recorded a stunting rate of 25.3% in 2025, up from 23.6% in 2023, according to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute. This is the first increase in 10 years. The law strengthens the country’s ECCD system, expanding access to health, nutrition, and quality early learning for children from birth to eight years old. UNESCO previously said that investing in early childhood care and education “yields a 13% return through improved health, economic outcomes, and social cohesion.” The law also mandates the creation of child development centers in every barangay. It is a facility where children five years old and below are cared for during part of the day by ECCD service providers. Around 4,600 barangays in the country still have no child development centers, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2). ECCD service providers include child development teachers and child development workers. The law states that plantilla positions must be created for them. In its news release, the Department of Education (DepEd) said the IRR provides clear guidelines for local government units to institutionalize local ECCD offices, professionalize child development workers through plantilla creation, and execute localized ECCD roadmaps aligned with the national strategy. “The DepEd emphasizes that strengthening foundational learning begins long before a child enters formal schooling,” the agency said. “By promoting early literacy and numeracy and holistic child development during the early years, the ECCD System Act lays the groundwork for improved learning outcomes throughout basic education.” More funding for ECCD sought For its part, advocacy group Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) urged the government to earmark a “significant and protected share” for ECCD in the national budget. In its 2026 State of Philippine Education report, PBEd also said the government must ensure that on-ground workers such as child development workers and barangay health workers are properly equipped and have the necessary support. PBEd executive director Hanibal Camua stressed that investing in the first 1,000 days of children and supporting their literacy during early grade levels may lead to more proficient graduates from the basic education system. Angara acknowledged the need to boost funding. “Maganda na ‘yung feeding program natin sa Kinder at Grade 1, but we need to catch children at ages zero to five. Kasi pagpasok sa kindergarten, much of the damage has already been done,” he said in a chance interview on the sidelines of an event in Quezon City, ahead of the signing of the IRR. (Our feeding program for Kinder and Grade 1 has already improved, but we need to catch children at ages zero to five. Once they enter kindergarten, much of the damage has already been done.) Angara also said that only up to 29% of children aged three to four years old are in child development centers, and being fed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Play Video For this year, the DepEd has P25 billion for its school-based feeding program nationwide. However, it only targets universal feeding for kindergarten and Grade 1 public school students, and learners in Grades 2 to 6 that are found to be “wasted” and “severely wasted.” Wasting, which means a child is too thin for their height, is a form of undernutrition. According to the DepEd, there is a P1-billion allocation under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) to establish child development centers in fourth- and fifth-class municipalities or low-income areas. EDCOM 2 earlier pushed for P2.46 billion. The LGSF also includes funds for the initial creation of plantilla positions for child development workers in those areas. Other ECCD-related funds in the 2026 budget are: P226.9-million allocation for a scholarship program to upskill current child development workers under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority P9.6-billion funding for the DSWD’s Supplemental Feeding Program, providing hot meals and milk to three- to five-year-old kids in child development centers for 180 days – Rappler.com