By Mary May A. Abellon
DIPOLOG CITY – “We are calling on the media to support and help us in our breastfeeding advocacy campaign,” Health Education and Promotion Officer Virgie Galarreta of the Department of Health (DOH)-9 said in a recent media forum held at Camila Hotel 1 this city.
Galarreta of DOH-9 discussed the salient provisions of Republic Act (RA)10028 to the members of the local press, emphasizing the promotion of breastfeeding to all mothers.
“Workplaces in private enterprises and public offices and places shall be adequately provided with the necessary equipment and facilities like the establishment of lactation stations,” Galaretta said.
She added that lactation station should not be located in the toilet.
Under RA 10028, otherwise known as the Expanded Breastfeeding Act of 2009, nursing employees shall be granted break intervals in addition to the regular time-off for meals to breastfeed or express milk not less than a total of 40 minutes for every eight-hour working period which shall be counted as compensable hours worked.
“Before the advent of milk formulas, mothers have no other choice except to breastfeed,” DOH-9 Public Information Officer Tess Dela Cruz stressed.
Dela Cruz said that every family has the right to decide how the baby will be fed but the decision they get is usually based on the information around them like that from the media, their friends, relatives, neighbors and health workers.
“Advertisement greatly affects the decision of parents on how to feed babies,” she added.
Among the disadvantages of artificial feeding are infections, malnutrition, obesity, increased risk of cardiovascular disease in later life, allergy and milk intolerance, constipation, indigestion, increased risk of chronic diseases, lower IQ of children.
Dela Cruz emphasized that “a total of P21.5 billion has been spent each year on the purchase of infant formula, which is an unnecessary expenditure leaving a tremendous socio-economic impact on Filipino families.”
“It’s time that we work together for our children can’t wait any longer. It’s everyone’s responsibility so let’s do our task and let’s act now,” Dela Cruz concluded.