𝐆𝐎𝐕. 𝐏𝐀𝐌 𝐏𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐍𝐔𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said she was not surprised by reports that five out of 10 early-grade pupils in major cities in Cebu struggle to read and understand simple sentences.
Citing findings from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), the governor said illiteracy is largely a symptom of malnutrition among children.
“Ang illiteracy rate nato is a byproduct of malnutrition,” she said during her regular press briefing on Wednesday, March 18. “Kay kon ang bata dili makatarong og tuon kay tungod walay tarong kaon, affected ang ilahang pag-eskuyla.”
𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮
Data from the National Nutrition Council supports the governor’s claim, showing Cebu Province consistently ranks second in Central Visayas across key malnutrition indicators.
Its 2024 Operation Timbang Plus report recorded 3.64 percent of Cebuano children as underweight, 8.67 percent as stunted, and 1.42 percent as wasted. Meanwhile, 2.58 percent—equivalent to more than 4,900 children aged 0 to 59 months—were classified as overweight or obese.
In response, the governor is moving to address both literacy and nutrition gaps through structural reforms and targeted interventions, including the creation of a dedicated education office and the rollout of school-based feeding programs.
The governor said the province will prioritize nutrition through feeding programs in schools, with support from private sector and non-government partners such as Century Pacific and Rise Against Hunger Philippines.
The program will initially be piloted in three to five schools before a province-wide rollout.
“Ato sa i-finetune ang atong proseso. We cannot just go in and do a feeding program nga tagaan lang nimog bugas and okay, you tell the school to do the rest. We cannot be like that,” she said, adding that once fully organized, the PEdS will prioritize local government units with the highest illiteracy rates for targeted interventions.
The EDCOM II report showed that half of early-grade learners in major urban hubs in Cebu are classified as “struggling readers,” or those unable to read or comprehend a simple paragraph.
Among Cebu’s divisions, Talisay City recorded the highest share at 52.99 percent. In Cebu Province, nearly four out of 10 pupils from Grades 1 to 3 fall under the same category, based on data covering 263,204 learners at the start of School Year 2025–2026.
𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝘁
In another response to the problem, the Capitol has established the Provincial Education Secretariat (PEdS) to strengthen the province’s education governance and delivery systems. The governor signed Executive Order (EO) No. 19 on Wednesday, formalizing its creation. (𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲)
The PEdS will serve as the central coordinating, planning, and implementing arm of the provincial government for all education-related programs. It will also act as the technical and administrative arm of the Provincial School Board, overseeing the use of the Special Education Fund and key programs on literacy, nutrition, scholarships, and academic recovery.
“It is necessary that we create our education office para we can coordinate closely with other national agencies and we can address this education crisis here in the Province of Cebu,” the governor said, noting the lack of a “system of coordination” among agencies addressing the same issues. | CAPITOL PIO
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