TUNGAWAN, Zamboanga Sibugay – Long burdened by one of the highest child malnutrition rates in the province, Tungawan is now trying to turn the page under the leadership of its new mayor, Lito Aniñon.
For four straight years, local nutrition surveys placed Tungawan at the top of the list of Zamboanga Sibugay towns with the highest cases of stunting, wasting, and underweight children.
Aniñon, who assumed office in mid-2025, said reversing that trend is one of his administration’s top priorities. His team is working with the Municipal Health Office and barangay nutrition scholars to expand feeding programs, secure vaccines, and improve maternal care across all barangays.
“We cannot allow another generation of Tungawan children to grow up malnourished. We will put resources where they are most needed – health and nutrition,” Aniñon said.
From ‘nutrition desk’ to a full office
The National Nutrition Council has long identified Tungawan as a priority area for intervention, noting that malnutrition in the Zamboanga Peninsula remains higher than the national average. As of 2023, 31.9% of children under five in the region were stunted, while 23.2% were underweight.
To institutionalize nutrition efforts, Aniñon created a Municipal Nutrition Office – elevating what used to be just a desk under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“We were just a desk before,” said nutrition focal person Erlynne Shayne Endino. “The new mayor saw the need to make nutrition a regular office under the LGU.”
Among its ongoing programs is the distribution of Rice-Mongo Curls – a project started under the late mayor Randy Climaco. Produced locally, these snack curls are made from rice and mongo flour, providing 130 kcal and 4g of protein per 30g serving – enough to supply over 12% of the recommended energy and 14% of the recommended protein intake of children aged 1 to 3 years old.
Endino said the office also distributes food packs to identified malnourished children aged 0-59 months.
Building on past efforts
Aniñon stressed that he does not intend to scrap the nutrition programs of past administrations but rather improve and strengthen them.
His office is banking on partnerships with national agencies, schools, and civil society groups to sustain programs. Plans are underway to tackle the roots of hunger.
“We want Tungawan to move from being a statistic of malnutrition to becoming a model of recovery,” Aniñon said.
The mayor is hoping to break free Tungawan from a cycle that has long held back its youngest residents. The challenge, he admits, is not only in providing food today but in building a healthier foundation for generations to come.
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