TABACO CITY—In Tabaco’s villages, where families often struggle to put nutritious meals on the table, a simple pack of food made from monggo and rice has become a tool against child stunting. For mothers of infants, it means one less worry about whether their children will grow strong and healthy.
That food blend, known as K-MOBA (Kumpletong Pagkaing Monggo at Bigas sa Alagang Bata), is produced in the city’s F1K++ Nutri Center. Designed for children aged six to 23 months, it is rich in protein, energy, and essential nutrients needed during the First 1,000 Days—the crucial period from pregnancy to age two when nutrition has the greatest impact on a child’s future.
Before the center was established, Tabaco had to import complementary foods from Pampanga at Php 6 million a year. Now, with local production costing only Php 1.5 million, more children are served. From 150 children at the start, the program now covers more than 3,200 across 47 barangays. City records show stunting rates have significantly dropped from 6.2% in 2019 to 2.35% in 2025.
“The availability of complementary food has significantly contributed to reducing stunting among children in our community,” said Nutrition Officer II Elfleda Boboyo, who oversees the program.
The Nutri Center was set up in 2024 through a technology transfer with the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute, which trained Tabaco’s nutrition workers in food formulation and production. The initiative began under then-Mayor Krisel Lagman, who encouraged local production instead of relying on external suppliers. It is now being carried forward by Mayor Rey Bragais, who has supported the expansion of the Nutri Center’s operations. Their role underscores how continuity of policy across administrations helps ensure nutrition programs survive beyond individual terms.
What began with six staff now employs 22 and also supplies food for school feeding programs and vulnerable groups such as senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
The challenge, however, extends beyond Tabaco. Nationwide, nearly 29 percent of Filipino children under five are stunted, according to the 2022 Global Nutrition Report—one of the highest rates in Asia. Against this backdrop, Tabaco’s experience shows how a community can craft its own solutions: turning everyday staples like monggo and rice into nourishment that protects children from the lifelong costs of malnutrition.
