WHILE malnutrition rates among children under five in Central Visayas saw a percentage decline in 2025, stunting remains a stubborn public health challenge, with 38,555 children still affected across the region.
Data from the 2025 Operation Timbang Plus (OPT Plus) shows that stunting — low height-for-age, locally known as “putot” — dropped to 6.26 percent, down from 6.7 percent in 2024 and 7.2 percent in 2023. These figures include data from Negros Oriental and Siquijor, despite their recent administrative transition to the Negros Island Region.
Despite the steady downward trend since 2019, Nasudi Soluta of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) 7 noted on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, that the figures remain a priority concern due to the irreversible impact of chronic malnutrition on cognitive development and future productivity.
Regional landscape
The data reveals a stark contrast between urban centers and rural provinces. While urban areas reported lower prevalence, Cebu Province accounts for nearly half of the region’s stunted children due to its sheer population size. / EHP