senator pia’s breastfeeding month ‘07 activities

      OFFICE OF SENATOR PIA S. CAYETANO

     RM.505 SENATE BUILDING, PASAY CITY     Tels. 5529003, 5526683 w Fax 5526684 

     senpiacayetano@gmail.com w www.senatorpiacayetano.com

 News Release

August 1, 2007

Senator Pia leads ‘Breastfeeding Month’ activities 

To mark the start of August as “Breastfeeding Month,” Senator Pia S. Cayetano will lead a series of activities aimed at drumming up support for pro-breastfeeding legislation from the public and her fellow lawmakers. 

Cayetano is pushing for the passage of her bill, Senate Bill 761, which aims to revive the culture of breastfeeding in the country which has declined to alarmingly low levels in recent years. 

Also known as the “Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act,” SB 761 mandates the establishment of breastfeeding stations in public places and private and government offices where nursing mothers can feed their baby or express their milk. 

The proposed measure will also require employers to allow paid “milk breaks” for their nursing female employees to encourage them to continue breastfeeding, even after returning to work upon giving birth. 

“In studies conducted by the Department of Health and the World Health Organization, ‘returning to work’ was the top reason why Filipino mothers are forced to stop breastfeeding, and so this bill aims to fill that gap,” she explained.  

Cayetano is also working on a separate bill which seeks to strengthen advertising regulations under Executive Order No. 51, otherwise known as the Milk Code. EO 51 is currently the subject of a landmark case at the Supreme Court between the Philippine government and multinational milk companies. 

“The bill aims to curb the influence of the aggressive mass media campaign of infant formula manufacturers. This has also discouraged mothers from breastfeeding their babies from birth up to two years.”  

For the entire month of August, the lady senator has lined up a series of activities to promote breastfeeding. 

On August 6, she will grace the launching of the Lactation Unit and Human Milk Bank at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. 

She will lead a series of breastfeeding seminars in Metro Manila and the provinces, including Pateros, Quezon City, Batangas and Cavite. The series will be highlighted by three breastfeeding conventions in Cebu province on August 10 and 11.  

The senator will launch her new blog, www.bestforbabies.wordpress.com* where mothers can share personal experiences and information on breastfeeding and form support networks through cyberspace. 

She will also spearhead  a dialogue with barangay health workers in Baseco Compound in Manila, together with Mayor Alfredo Lim, to discuss problems in the delivery of basic health services, including information and education campaign on breastfeeding, proper nutrition, and maternal and child health.  

For the last two years, Cayetano has been sponsoring community seminars on breastfeeding in several barangays across the country. # 

* Note: The site will soon be renamed proudlybreastfeedingpinay.com