Establishments urged to provide space for nursing mothers
BACOLOD CITY -- Sangguniang Panglungsod Member Celia Matea Flor said yesterday that she will author a resolution enjoining all public and private establishment to provide breast feeding room or station in their offices/buildings, including but not limited to shopping and recreational malls and bus/jeepney terminals in the City of Bacolod.
She would also ask bus or shuttle operators to provide reserved seats for nursing mothers.
Flor said, it is provided under Republic Act 7600 that "the state shall adopt a national policy to encourage, protect and support the practice of breastfeeding, and thus, it shall create an environment where basic physical, emotional and psychological needs of the mothers and infant are fulfilled through breastfeeding."
Flor, being committee chair on family and child care and development, believed that the said act requires for the designation of "Mother friendly establishment" and the provision of lactation stations in "non-health institutions" as in any public/private working places, and likewise for the provision of comfortable seats in any bus for nursing mother to express their milk.
She further emphasized that through this resolution, it means complying with such mandate that will really address the prevailing difficult situation for nourishing mothers and breast fed infants wherein in many cases they used fitting rooms in the department stores if not comfort rooms in other establishments and restaurants or similar businesses, not to mention the uncomfortable condition in the buses/shuttle buses wherein breastfeeding mothers used blankets or towels for cover in order to express their breastmilk for their infants.
Meanwhile, during yesterday's SP Regular Session, Flor also sponsored a resolution enjoining all barangays thru their respective punong barangays to convene/re-convene their respective barangay council for the protection of children.
She urged the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) to conduct a capacity building seminar to the council for them to be responsive to the child development and potential empowerment. She said that the purpose of the creation of Barangay Council for the Protection of Children is to assist and recommend policies and strategies to the punong barangay and the city government on the efficient and effective delivery of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) day care program and such other programs and services for the protection and promotion of children's right and welfare.