BARMM takes bold step to curb hunger, malnutrition

COTABATO CITY  – The Bangsamoro Government has taken a major step in its campaign against hunger and child malnutrition by finally establishing the Bangsamoro Nutrition Commission (BNC), the region’s highest policy-making body on nutrition, health, and food security.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), through the Ministry of Health (MOH), launched the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 83, also known as the Bangsamoro Nutrition Commission Act of 2025, on July 9.

The law created the BNC as the region’s principal policy-making, coordinating, monitoring, and advisory body tasked with harmonizing efforts on food and nutrition, nutrition and health, and food security.

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BARMM Health Minister Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr. said the IRR provides the operational framework for implementing the law, clearly defining the roles of government agencies, local government units (LGUs), development partners, and other stakeholders in advancing nutrition programs across the Bangsamoro Region.

He emphasized that the BNC is more than a new institution; “it is a commitment to the future of the Bangsamoro.”

“We are not just launching an agency; we are creating a turning point for the Bangsamoro people’s future,” Sinolinding said during the launch.

“The establishment of the BNC is our collective vow that no child in the Bangsamoro Region will have their potential deprived by hunger and malnutrition,” he added.

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From vision to action

Andreas Wuestenberg, head of the UNICEF Mindanao Field Office, welcomed the adoption of the IRR and reaffirmed the agency’s support for the Bangsamoro Government’s nutrition agenda.

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“We are glad to witness this important achievement of the Bangsamoro Government towards ensuring that every mother, every child, and every family has an opportunity to live healthier and more productive lives,” Wuestenberg said.

“With the creation of this IRR, the Bangsamoro Nutrition Council moves from vision to action. What started with the commitment in law is now a functioning institution equipped to lead, coordinate, and strengthen nutrition across the region,” he added.

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Bangsamoro Member of Parliament Dr. Hashemi Dilangalen, chairperson of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority’s Committee on Health, underscored the commission’s role in unifying nutrition initiatives across the region.

“The BNC is meant to organize our nutrition response across the region. It brings local government units, health workers, schools, government agencies, communities, and development partners together so that our programs do not move separately from one another,” Dilangalen said.

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The IRR also mandates the formulation of the Bangsamoro Plan of Action for Nutrition (BPAN), which will serve as the region’s strategic blueprint for implementing nutrition programs and reducing malnutrition./coa