ERCEFLORA, together with the Manila Water Foundation, Department of Education (DepEd), and the Pasig City Government, is expanding the Batang Matatag child health initiative across 44 schools in Pasig as the program marks its fifth year.
The initiative will bring refrigerated drinking water fountains and health education on gut health and everyday hygiene—including toothbrushing, handwashing, and sanitation—to school communities. The expansion is part of Batang Matatag’s broader effort to promote healthier school environments through sustained community partnerships.
“Batang Matatag has always been about creating healthier environments where children can grow and thrive. As we enter our fifth year, we are looking beyond immediate needs to help communities build the knowledge and habits that can support children’s health in the long term. Through our partnerships, we hope to make these healthy practices more accessible and sustainable for the communities we serve,” Rica Mateo, Erceflora ASEA Brand Zone Lead said.
Five Years of Batang Matatag: It Takes a Village
Since its launch, Batang Matatag has grown from a program focused on essential water access, sanitation and hygiene or WASH facilities into a broader child health initiative, reaching 150,000 students and healthcare professionals by 2026, up from 9,494 students in 2023.
In July and August, Erceflora brings Batang Matatag to De Castro Elementary School, Nagpayong High School, Pinagbuhatan High School, Manggahan High School, and San Miguel Elementary School to bring health education closer to school communities. Through the WASH paaralan sessions, select student attendees are challenged to be lead and role models of hygiene on campus.
The Pasig rollout began with a ceremonial turnover of WASH facilities and refrigerated drinking water stations at De Castro Elementary School, where more than 100 students, teachers, and parents participated in a gut health lecture.
“Access to safe, clean, and cold drinking water can make a real difference in encouraging our learners to drink more water and stay healthy. When children are healthy, they are better able to attend school, participate, and learn. That is why partnerships like this are important—not only in improving our school facilities, but also in supporting the health and learning of our students,” said Lailani Lucero, De Castro Elementary School Principal.
The program’s expanded focus reflects the growing recognition that child health requires more than access to safe water. Nutrition, gut health, and consistent hygiene practices also play an important role in supporting children’s immunity, development, and ability to learn.
“Providing access to safe water is an important first step, but children also need good nutrition, proper hygiene, and healthy habits to support their overall health. These practices should start at home and be reinforced in school, where children can learn how simple, consistent habits can help protect them from illnesses like diarrhea,” said Dr. Jo-Anne De Castro, Pediatric Infectious Disease expert.
Batang Matatag therefore continues to equip children, parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals with practical knowledge on gut health and everyday hygiene.
“Healthy habits need to be consistent. It’s not enough to have access to clean water or practice proper hygiene only sometimes. Children need an environment where these practices are maintained every day, because consistency is what helps turn good health practices into lasting habits,” Dr. Jo-Anne added.
Why Gut Health Deserves a Seat at the Table
The program’s growth reflects the scale of its expanding impact.“Seeing Batang Matatag grow from reaching just over 9,000 students in 2023 to 150,000 students and healthcare professionals in 2026 is a meaningful milestone for us. More importantly, these numbers represent more children and communities gaining access to healthier practices and resources. The program’s continued expansion shows what can be achieved when we sustain our commitment to child health and work closely with schools and communities,” Mateo noted.
For Manila Water Foundation, the collaboration highlights the importance of bringing together different sectors to create healthier learning environments. “Building healthier learning environments cannot be done by one organization alone. It requires the combined efforts of partners providing safe and reliable water, health resources, education, and support. When these efforts come together, we can give our learners the healthy and conducive environment they need to stay in school, stay well, and learn better,” the Manila Water Foundation Executive Director, Reginald Andal, emphasized.
As Batang Matatag enters its fifth year, Erceflora sees the milestone as a foundation for its next phase and its broader commitment to ensuring no child suffers needlessly from preventable and curable gut health issues. “Year 5 is an important milestone, but we see it as a foundation for what comes next. In Year 6, we hope to build on what we have learned and expand beyond Luzon and BARMM to reach more children in need of WASH facilities and gut health education. Our goal is to keep evolving Batang Matatag and strengthen our efforts to help prevent childhood mortality caused by diarrhea,” Mateo concluded.
