BAGUIO City's seat of power may give way to lactating moms soon.
Councilor Lila Fariñas has moved to require all government offices and business establishments to provide a breast-feeding corner to give mothers a quiet space to feed their babies and hopefully start in city hall.
Farinas said city hall as yet to establish a space for mothers and hopes when the proposed ordinance is passed, will compel the seat of government to make room for the needed breastfeeding center.
Passed on its first reading, “The Breastfeeding Corner Ordinance” will require government and non-government facilities having a P500,000 up capital to set up the space.
u201cMeron na sa GSIS, sa mall and a few other places but we want all to have the space,” Fariñas said.
Fariñas said the space is needed as there are new mothers who are government employees as well as clients who have to being their babies to work or when they run errands.
u201cKailangan nila ng space na maayos, may kurtina at may privacy, we have to provide them that space,” added the lady councilor.
The new law will require the space to have a comfortable couch, a privacy curtain and sufficient lighting to be used by lactating moms during feeding sessions with their babies.
In the Philippines, a 2003 Survey revealed out of almost 7 million children (below 5 years old), only 87 percent were breastfed.
The UNICEF survey also revealed, nearly 3.4 million children (49%) were given liquid or food other than breast milk within three days after being born, for children below 3 years old, barely 6% were exclusively breastfed with exclusive breastfeeding lasting only for an average of 24 days.
In the city, a group of 34 women coming from different disciplines banded to form “Breastfriends of Baguio and Benguet Mommies” to answer needs of mothers wanting to breastfeed their children.
The group was formed in July to advocate the need for mothers to breastfeed to answer the common problem for mothers today on how to provide milk for their babies when they are working.
The group is composed teachers, midwives, nurses, massage therapists and doctors who offer their time to answer queries by mothers and go to the extent of conducting home visits.
