Regressive amendments on Monster Milk Code opposed

September 11th, 2012 by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado

Regressive amendments on Milk Code opposed by Miraluna Tacadao

Yes, breastmilk is still best for babies.

This message was reiterated by the Department of Health (DOH) in the observance of National Breastfeeding Awareness last August, in the midst of proposals to amend the Milk Code of 1986 and the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009.

Entitled “Breastfeeding and Milk Regulation Act”, the draft consolidated House Bill is in substitution of House Bill Nos. 3525, 3527, 3396 and 3537 and was filed by Representatives Magtanggol Gunigundo, Josephine Lacson-Noel, Rufus Rodriguez, Anna York-Bondoc, Lani Mercado-Revilla, and Lucy Torres-Gomez.

In a joint statement, the DOH and its international partners, the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expressed alarm over the new legislation that threatens to overturn existing laws that protects people from milk companies’ aggressive marketing, misleading advertisements, and unfounded claims.

Promotion of breastfeeding

In a timeline provided by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), the Milk Code or Executive Order No. 51 was signed by then President Corazon C. Aquino in 1986 in a ceremony led by then Health Secretary Alran Bengzon.

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