As a longtime advocate and sponsor of the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act, Senator Pia S. Cayetano marked National Breastfeeding Month with her annual privilege speech – a tradition she has kept for two decades.
Calling breastfeeding “nature’s first immunization,” the senator underscored its role in protecting children from malnutrition and disease, while also advancing several Sustainable Development Goals.
Despite this, only 50.4% of Filipino infants are exclusively breastfed in their first six months, leaving many families to depend on unsafe or less nutritious alternatives.
Cayetano also highlighted the progress achieved through her law requiring lactation stations and workplace support for nursing mothers, but urged government agencies, schools, and LGUs to sustain and strengthen programs that encourage breastfeeding.
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