Press Release
August 4, 2019

August is Breastfeeding Month
Pia: Promoting breastfeeding vital to achieving PH's Sustainable Development Goals

Senator Pia S. Cayetano called for the cooperation of all sectors in supporting the culture of breastfeeding among Filipina mothers to ensure the health of succeeding generations of young Filipinos, which she said is vital to achieving the country's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A staunch breastfeeding advocate, Cayetano authored the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 (RA 10028) which mandates paid lactation breaks for nursing employees in the workplace, and the establishment of breastfeeding rooms in public places, like shopping malls, government facilities, and transport hubs such as airports, seaports, and bus stations.

"Breastfeeding safeguards the well-being of babies and mothers. It ensures a healthy future for the child, positively affects the mother's health, and thus enables the family to be better members of the community," the senator pronounced on the occasion of Breastfeeding Month.

"The gains we've made since the passage of RA 10028 ten years ago are the results of our social investments in breastfeeding. We should press on in helping mothers breastfeed and educating them on its importance," she added.

"I know it is not easy, especially for working mothers because I also breastfed my children. I've become an advocate ever since," shared the senator, who worked as a corporate lawyer prior to entering politics in 2004.

"Our objective is to create a favorable environment for Filipina mothers to fully embrace breastfeeding, especially among young and new mothers," Cayetano said, adding that this would require cooperation from both government and the private sector.

To ensure that Philippine Congress itself complies with the law it passed and become 'breastfeeding-friendly' institutions under RA 10028, Cayetano personally worked for the establishment of lactation rooms for nursing employees in both the Senate (in August 2014) and the House of Representatives (in March 2019).

Cayetano also helped set up human milk banks in Taguig City and Cebu City, and sponsored breastfeeding seminars and milk donation runs in various places across the country, as part of her Pinay In Action (PIA) advocacy.

The senator said the social benefits from supporting breastfeeding should bring the country closer towards achieving Goal 2 ("achieve zero hunger") and Goal 3 ("ensure good health and well-being") of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

She noted that even the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recognizes the vital role of breastfeeding in achieving the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNICEF notes that breastfeeding can help achieve many of the 17 SDGs, including the goals on health, poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, and sustainable consumption.

"We need to take stronger initiatives to build on our gains. Let's always remember that a healthy community is a sustainable community. If we want to achieve our sustainable development goals, let's first make our babies and mothers healthy," Cayetano concluded.

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