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House of Representatives i bare M2 AUG 2025
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TWENTIETH CONGRESS, Wo inp a

First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No_ 3562_

Introduced by Rep. Dante S. Garcia and Rep. Kenneth Paolo Tereng

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Malnutrition continues to plague young Filipino children in the country. In the January to October
2021 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, death caused by malnutrition increased by almost
forty percent (40%), the highest on record, with 4,844 Filipinos died of malnutrition. Local
economists believe that this plight reflected the government's failure to respond to the health and
nutrition needs of Filipinos, which aggravated during the time of the Covid 19 pandemic. Nearly
half of all deaths in children under age 5 are attributable to undernutrition, which puts children at
greater risk of dying from common infections. Its lack of institutional support for a stable and
responsive nutrition program has caused this observed increase in deaths.

The 2019 Food and Nutrition Research Institute's National Nutrition Survey (FNRI-NNS) reported
that twenty-nine percent (29%) of Filipino children aged 5 and under, or one of every three
children, had stunted growth, nineteen percent (19%) were underweighted, while six percent (6%)
of children under age 5 were identified as wasted because of starvation and disease. The 2021
World Bank study sustained the report that the Philippines is suffering from a "silent pandemic",
referring to childhood stunting because of undernutrition. Across the East Asia and Pacific region,
the Philippines had the fifth highest prevalence of stunting, and was in the top 10 on the global
scale, proving that it is indeed a "very high" public health significance

The persistence of very high levels of childhood undernutrition and malnutrition pose a high threat
to the country's human and economic potential. Nevertheless, the passage of an enabling legislation
that aims to provide a continuous investment in nutrition, and basic health education to address the
various problem of malnutrition in the country should be resolved.


This is where the Barangay Integrated Development Approach to Nutrition Improvement
(BIDANI) comes in. It is an active research initiative by the BIDANI network group composed of
participating state universities and colleges (SUCs), the National Nutrition Council and the local
government units (LGUs) which aims to address nutritional gaps among the poor by promoting,
protecting, and implementing sound food and nutrition concepts.

This measure seeks to establish and institutionalize the BIDANI network program as a vanguard
of research in development which aims to promote nutrition-in-development for the general well-
being of the rural poor through a local participative and integrated management system
spearheaded by the participating State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) through its extension
programs.

In view of the foregoing, approval of this measure is earnestly sought.

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Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO_3562

Introduced by Rep. Dante S. Garcia and Rep. Kenneth Paolo Tereng

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE BARANGAY INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT
APPROACH FOR NUTRITION IMPROVEMENT OF THE RURAL POOR
AS A LINKAGE PROGRAM FOR ALL STATE UNIVERSITIES AND
COLLEGES AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Barangay Integrated
Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement (BIDANI) Act".

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to recognize nutrition as
a basic human right that shall be promoted as a public good and a public concern
that can be satisfactory achieved through multi-sectoral support and cooperation. To
this end, the State shall vigorously work towards the provision of the nutritional
needs of the poor and vulnerable especially in the rural areas, and give utmost
support to programs and projects that are responsive to the health needs of the
Filipino people.

Sec. 3. Objectives. - This Act shall have the following objectives:
(a) To encourage the cooperation and participation of academic institutions and local
government units (LGUs) in promoting the nutritional well-being of the people;


(b) To develop among state universities and colleges (SUCS), and community colleges an cfective
research-action network program that will improve the nutrition and general well-being of the rural
poor; and

(c) To improve the nutritional well-being of the poor in the rural areas in order to enhance their
health and productivity.

Sec. 4. The Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement
Program. - The Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement
(BIDANT) is established as a comprehensive nutrition in-development action research program
of the state universties and colleges (SUCs) and community coleges in support of the health and
nutrition program of the national goverment and local government units (LGUs) whose target
beneficiaries are the rural poor.

It is a comprehensive model for building the capacity of LGUs to integrate nutrition concerns in
countryside development programs that supports the implementation of the Philippine Plan of
Action for Nutrition (PPAN) to combat malnutrition, food and nutrition insecurity, social
deprivation, and poverty alleviation

Sec. 5. Program Goals. - The BIDANI Program shall promote nutrition-in-development through
community and other stakeholders’ participation in an integrated management system facilitated
by SUCS. The Program shall:

(a) Require all SUCs and community colleges to assist the government in achieving the nutrition
targets of the PPAN;
(b) Engage the SUCs and community colleges in the conduct of training and capacity-
building activities for all BIDANI stakeholders on the BIDANI strategies and innovative

practices to ensure that in-planning nutrition shall be integrated in all areas of local governance;
(c) Promote the best nutrition-in-development practices of successful LGUs through the
participation of local nutrition management teams; and

(d) Build partnership among SUCs, community colleges and other stakeholders to support the
citizenry towards self-help and self-reliance; encourage citizen action through the involvement of
various stakeholders; and coordinate with government organizations (GOs), nongovernment
organizations (NGOs), private organization (POs) and other private sector groups in linking the
community with existing resources.


Sec. 6. BIDANI Structural/Organizational Linkages. - The BIDANI partners and stakeholders
shall work at different levels, as follows:

(a) State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) - Community Colleges’ Partnership with SUCs shall
be formalized through an execution of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the
University of the Philippines-Los Bafios (UPLB), being the national coordinator of the BIDANI
Program, represented by its Chancellor, and-—sthe~— President’ = of,
the concerned SUCs or community colleges. Upon approval of the MOA, the BIDANI Program
shall be operationalized under the Office of the Vice President for Research and Extension
(OVPRE) of the partner SUC or community college. A BIDANI SUC or
community college will then choose and coordinate with its partner LGU;

(b) City or Municipal Local Government Units - The implementation of the BIDANI as a
development strategy shall commence upon the approval by the city or municipality of the
nutrition plans formulated by the SUC concerned through a MOA or city/municipality resolution.

Each city or municipality shall create a City/Municipal Organizational Machinery, composed of
heads and representatives of different city/municipal line agencies who shall be responsible for the
implementation, monitoring, evaluation and replication of the BIDANI strategy in the locality;

(c) Barangay Units - The realization of the BIDANI as a development strategy shall be
accomplished at the barangay level. The membership of each Barangay Development Council
(BDC) shall be expanded and the BDC shall hereinafter be called the Program Planning and
Implementing Committee
The Committee shall be composed of
representatives from the Sangguniang Barangay, BDC, the various purok in the barangay and other
‘community leaders who shall be trained on the BIDANI strategy to ensure that the processes for
planning and management of development programs, projects and activities will be participative
and responsive to the needs of the residents of the barangay; and

(d) Other Stakeholders - The participation and inputs of the NGOs, POs, other government
agencies and offices, shall be sought in the formulation of plans by the members of the barangay

Sec. 7. BIDANI Innovative Strategies. - To facilitate the local implementation of the
BIDANI, the Program shall be implemented using the following innovative strategies:
(a) Formulation of the Barangay Integrated Development Pian (BIDP) - Upon approval of
this Act, each barangay shall formulate its BIDP which shall include the barangay's plans and


programs relative to nutrition, and which plans shall be integrated to the municipal development
plan;

(b) Updating of the Existing Barangay Management Information system (BMIS) - As part of its
research activities, the concemed SUC or community college shall continue to update its’ existing
people-based information system which shall focus on the identification of the needs of the
barangay through efficient and effective data collection. The data shall be the basis for program
planning, management and implementation of various projects and activities in the barangay; and

(c) Implementation of Participative Nutrition Enhancement Approach (PNEA) - The National
Nutrition Council (NNC), and participating SUCs and community colleges shall utilize the life
ceycle approach in the formulation of food production policies and programs, and promote market-
driven livelihood activities among the households to
prevent malnutrition among preschool children and nutritionally-at-risk families.

Sec. 8. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of the BIDANI linkage
program shall be included in the budget of the participating SUCs or community college, in the
annual General Appropriations Act. The LGUs shall provide funding to the participating
community colleges for the implementation of the BIDANI linkage program.
Participating SUCs and community colleges may also receive grants, donations, and other forms
of financial support from foreign and local persons, institutions, and governments for the
implementation of the BIDANI linkage program.
In addition, the income generated by participating SUCs or community colleges may also be used
to augment the fund for the BIDANI Linkage Program.

Sec. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from the
approval of this Act, the UPLB-BIDANI shall, in coordination with the NNC and the participating
SUCS and community colleges, prepare and issue the necessary rules and regulations for its
effective implementation.

Sec. 10, Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional,
the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.

Sec. 11. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations, other
issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed
or modified accordingly.


Sec. 12, Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,