Senator Advocates Breastfeeding Promotion and Protection
Senator Loren Legarda expressed unwavering support for Senator Pia Cayetano’s privilege speech on Tuesday, emphasizing the urgent need for breastfeeding promotion and protection in the Philippines. She highlighted breastfeeding as a vital life-saving intervention that demands collective action.
“Breastfeeding is a proven life-saving intervention. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommend initiating it within the first hour after birth, exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months, and continuing breastfeeding with complementary feeding up to two years or beyond,” Legarda explained, underscoring breastfeeding’s essential role in infant health.
Declining Breastfeeding Rates and Systemic Challenges
Recent data from the 2023 National Nutrition Survey reveal significant challenges in breastfeeding promotion and protection. Only 61.2% of Filipino infants were breastfed within the first hour of life, while exclusive breastfeeding rates for infants under six months dropped to 50.4%. Alarmingly, 17.7% of newborns were given pre-lacteal feeds like formula or other liquids shortly after birth, undermining breastfeeding success from the start.
Community members and health advocates noted that these figures reflect not only a decline in breastfeeding rates but also systemic deficiencies. These include inadequate workplace support for nursing mothers, insufficient and unevenly distributed milk banks, weak cold chain and inventory management, and the lack of structured donor networks in many regions.
Addressing Gaps Through Stronger Policies
Legarda emphasized that improving breastfeeding promotion and protection requires robust policies and coordinated efforts. “To address these gaps, we need stronger policies, better coordination among agencies, and a culture that genuinely supports mothers and infants. Breastfeeding is not merely a personal choice; it is a shared responsibility that requires collective action from the government, communities, and workplaces,” she stated.
Introducing the Breast Milk Banking Act
Highlighting breastfeeding as a fundamental right, Legarda remarked, “Breastfeeding is a natural right, not a luxury. Yet in times of crisis, too many mothers face impossible choices between safety and nourishing their babies.” To bridge this gap, she filed Senate Bill No. 792, known as the Breast Milk Banking Act.
This legislation aims to strengthen rooming-in, breastfeeding, and breast milk banking practices by expanding and amending the existing Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Act of 1992. The bill proposes establishing a National Breast Milk Banking Strategy, increasing regional milk bank units and satellite banks nationwide, and enforcing standardized safety protocols for milk collection, screening, and storage.
Moreover, it will implement a real-time online tracking system to ensure efficient distribution of donor milk. This will guarantee timely access to safe breast milk for premature infants and those affected by emergencies, representing a long-term investment in child health and nutrition.
Legarda added, “By institutionalizing breast milk banks, we can significantly boost exclusive breastfeeding rates and give every Filipino child a stronger start in life.” As the nation observes Breastfeeding Awareness Month in August, she urged lawmakers to prioritize and pass this critical bill to make breastfeeding support accessible and sustainable for all.
For more news and updates on breastfeeding promotion and protection, visit Filipinokami.com.
