Senator Loren Legarda reaffirmed her support for breastfeeding and backed Senator Pia Cayetano’s call to strengthen programs that protect and promote it.
Citing WHO and UNICEF guidelines, Legarda stressed that breastfeeding should begin within the first hour of birth, continue exclusively for six months, and be sustained with complementary feeding up to two years or beyond.
However, the 2023 National Nutrition Survey showed only 61.2% of infants were breastfed in the first hour, 50.4% were exclusively breastfed under six months, while 17.7% received formula or other liquids early on, practices that hinder successful breastfeeding.
Legarda said these reflect systemic gaps: lack of workplace support, limited milk banks, weak cold chain systems, and absence of donor networks.
To address this, she filed Senate Bill No. 792 or the Breast Milk Banking Act, which will expand human milk banks nationwide, set safety standards, and create an online tracking system for efficient distribution.
“By institutionalizing breast milk banks, we can significantly boost exclusive breastfeeding rates and give every Filipino child a stronger start in life,” the senator from Antique said.
She also urged colleagues to prioritize the bill as the nation marks Breastfeeding Awareness Month.IMT
