By Paulo Loreto Lim

Iloilo City Councilor Candice Magdalane Tupas, who chairs the committee on health, announced she would be calling a meeting regarding compliance with an ordinance that mandates establishments provide breastfeeding stations.

According to the city official, the City Engineer’s Office must prioritize the installation of the said facilities in newly-built structures.

Iloilo City Health Office (CHO) head, Dr. Bernard Caspe, recently noted the importance of breastfeeding stations as it promotes the practice of providing breastmilk for babies, which he called “superior” to formula.

The policy is based on RA 10028, or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009, which reiterates Caspe’s point, noting, “Breastmilk is the best food since it contains essential nutrients completely suitable for the infant’s needs.”

Last year, then-Iloilo City Vice Mayor Jose Espinosa III and City Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo were condemned for off-color remarks regarding breastfeeding stations, with Breastfeeding Ilonggas, Inc. (BFI), a local support group for new mothers, calling the officials’ comments “disrespectful” and likening them to “verbal harassment.”/PLL, WDJ