LEGAZPI CITY: For nearly two decades, the province of Camarines Sur emerged top in prevalence of malnutrition cases in the Bicol region, despite economic and tourism growth.

Data from National Nutrition Council (NNC) regional office showed that Camarines Sur ranked first with 40,607 of underweight and severely underweight pre-school children out of 212,858 preschoolers weighed, while 3,334 are overweight.

High malnutrition in Camarines Sur has reign since the incumbency of former governor and now Rep. Luis Villafuerte Sr., and his son gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr., now on his last term.

Based on the consolidated nutritional status of pre-school children, “Operation Timbang” 2011-results submitted by the provincial and city health offices of the six provinces and seven cities to the NNC regional office in Camarines Sur, ranked first with grave malnutrition problems.

Next to Camarines Sur, second with highest cases of malnutrition is the province of Catanduanes with 5,586 out of 30,532 preschoolers weighed followed by Masbate province with 19,931 out of 121,180 total preschoolers weighed here.

Albay province ranked fourth, with 17,883 combined underweight and severely underweight out of 119,960 preschoolers, followed by Sorsogon province with 10,499 malnourished children out of 80,774 weighed, while Camarines Norte ranked six with 17,883 malnourished children out of 119,960 weighed.

Arlene Reario, NNC nutrition program coordinator told The Manila Times that the prevalence rate of malnutrition is the total values of percent underweight and severely underweight pre-school children aged 0 to 17 months old. The nutritional status of preschool children was based on World Health Organization-Child Growth Standard using the weight-for-age indicator.

There are about 869,139 preschool children in Bicol—783,385 were weighed or 90. At least 657,203 were reported normal or with good nourishment, while the combined undernourished and severely underweight totaled 116,477.

Overweight preschoolers reached 9,705 or a 1.24-percent prevalence rate.

The Philippine government is one of the signatories among the 189 United Nations member countries that reaffirmed their commitment to the millennium development goals that target the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.