By Dr. Dimpna Castigador
July marks Nutrition Month as Central Philippine University joins the nationwide celebration, reaffirming its commitment to promoting health, food security, environmental stewardship, and community service in caring for both people and creation.
Central Philippine University joins the nation in celebrating Nutrition Month this July, affirming its commitment to health, food security, environmental stewardship, and service to communities.
The annual celebration of Nutrition Month in the Philippines is mandated by Presidential Decree No. 491, also known as the Nutrition Act of the Philippines. For 2026, the National Nutrition Council approved the sub-theme “Nutrisyon at Kalikasan, Ating Pangalagaan!” under the broader call, “Sa PPAN, Sama-Sama sa Nutrisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat.”
This year’s message is timely and deeply human. It reminds Filipinos that nutrition is not only about what is served on the table. It is also about the condition of the soil, the availability of clean water, the stability of harvests, the safety of communities, and the changing climate that affects farmers, fisherfolk, families, and children.
For CPU, Nutrition Month is more than an annual observance. It is a reminder of the University’s calling to care for the total person and the world. This is consistent with CPU’s vision of being “A University committed to Exemplary Christian Education for Life (EXCEL) and responsive to the needs of the total person and the world,” and with its mission of strengthening Christian faith, building character, and promoting scholarship, research, and community service.
CPU President Rev. Dr. Ernest Howard B. Dagohoy emphasized that nutrition is both a human concern and a Christian responsibility.
“Nutrition Month reminds us that hunger is not an abstract issue. It is a child trying to learn on an empty stomach, a family stretching a limited budget, a farmer affected by changing weather, and a community needing knowledge and support,” Rev. Dr. Dagohoy said. “As a Christian university, CPU is called to care for the total person. Our commitment to nutrition, health, food security, and environmental stewardship is part of our commitment to serve God and society with compassion, excellence, and hope.”
The celebration gives special attention to SDG 2: Zero Hunger, which calls for improved nutrition, food security, and sustainable agriculture. At the same time, the word “kalikasan” widens the call. Nutrition Month also speaks to good health, quality education, clean water, responsible consumption, climate action, life on land, life below water, and partnerships. These goals are connected because the health of people and the health of creation cannot be separated.
CPU responds to this challenge through education, research, health formation, community engagement, and campus practices.
Through the College of Agriculture, Resources and Environmental Sciences, CPU helps prepare students for work in food production, agricultural development, and environmental management. Its long-standing work on Philippine Native Chicken shows how research can serve real families and communities. For many farmers, native chicken is not only food; it is also livelihood, culture, and a practical way to strengthen local food systems. Through training, technology transfer, and partnerships with government agencies and local communities, CPU helps bring useful agricultural knowledge closer to farmers and LGUs.
The University’s health sciences programs also contribute directly to the goals of Nutrition Month. Through Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Science, and Respiratory Therapy, CPU helps form professionals who understand that nutrition is closely related to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and community health. In many homes, health problems are shaped not only by disease, but also by food, income, sanitation, environment, and access to care. This is why the formation of competent and compassionate health professionals remains part of CPU’s service to society.
Other academic programs support the same advocacy from their own fields. The sciences help explain life, food, disease, and the environment. Engineering and packaging support food safety, processing, and sustainability. Hospitality strengthens responsible food preparation and service. Education, social work, psychology, business, public administration, and theology help address the family, community, livelihood, policy, and values dimensions of nutrition. Together, these programs show that nutrition is not the concern of one college alone. It is shared work that touches many fields and many lives.
Dr. Merle L. Junsay, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, said that the University’s academic programs become more meaningful when students see how their learning touches real people.
“Nutrition Month reminds us that education should lead to service,” Dr. Junsay said. “Through our programs in agriculture, health sciences, science, engineering, education, hospitality, and community development, CPU prepares students to respond to real needs with knowledge, skill, and Christian compassion.”
Beyond the classroom, CPU has supported nutrition-related initiatives through outreach and service-learning. Through Project ETC, an outreach initiative under the Community Engagement and Service-Learning program, CPU provided feeding support to three adopted schools in Iloilo Province in 2025, benefiting 747 elementary learners from kindergarten to grade 6. For a child, a meal is more than food. It can mean energy to listen, strength to participate, and encouragement to keep learning.
The College of Arts and Sciences has also conducted health and nutrition outreach activities in communities in Iloilo City and Iloilo Province. These included nutrition and hygiene literacy, vegetable seedlings, fruit-tree growing efforts, community garden support, and the distribution of nutritious milk drinks. In one outreach activity, 1,120 children received nutritious chocolate milk drinks, while faculty members helped provide basic health and nutrition education to learners and community members.
These initiatives point to a simple truth: nutrition is about dignity. It is about children who can learn better, families who can live healthier, farmers who can earn more sustainably, and communities that can grow with hope.
On campus, CPU also recognizes nutrition as part of student welfare. The Dining Hall, Student Union, and other food sources form part of the daily support system for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. These spaces remind the Centralian community that nutrition is not only discussed in classrooms, clinics, farms, and outreach reports. It is lived every day.
The environmental message of this year’s Nutrition Month also finds expression in CPU’s many climate and sustainability initiatives. Through Sustainable CPU and the Sustainable Campus Committee, the University has been strengthening its efforts in energy conservation, waste management, biodiversity awareness, wastewater management, green procurement, environmental education, and campus-wide sustainability planning. These are not separate from nutrition. A cleaner campus, safer water, reduced waste, and a stronger culture of stewardship all help protect the systems that make health and food security possible.
CPU’s climate-related work also extends beyond the campus. Project Waterwise promotes rainwater harvesting, conservation, education, and climate-resilient community practices. Student and academic initiatives such as Project Luntian, coastal clean-up activities, biodiversity documentation, and SDG awareness efforts help form Centralians who understand that caring for creation is part of caring for people. The University’s research environment also supports studies and innovations related to sustainability, renewable energy, marine biodiversity, agriculture, public health, and community resilience.
As CPU celebrates Nutrition Month, the University invites students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners to support practices that nourish both people and the environment. This may begin with simple daily choices: eating wisely, wasting less food, conserving water, avoiding unnecessary plastics, supporting local food systems, and caring for one’s health. When practiced together, these small acts become part of a larger witness.
In the spirit of EXCEL, Central Philippine University renews its commitment to help build communities where children are nourished, families are supported, farmers are empowered, and creation is cared for.
Nutrition Month is therefore more than a celebration. For CPU, it is a continuing call to teach, heal, cultivate, serve, and care.