This March, as we celebrate National Women’s Month, we highlight the important role of women as initiators of change. The celebration focuses on the theme “WE Make CHANGE Work for Women” and the subtheme “Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran.”. To support this goal, we have several nutrition programs and strategies which prioritize women from high-risk groups such as Adolescents, Pregnant and Lactating mothers, and several health programs for women of all ages. The following are examples of laws that prioritize women in nutrition strategies:

RA 11148: Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Magnanay Act

RA 11148 was signed last 2018 which aims to “provide comprehensive, sustainable, multisectoral strategies and approaches to address health and nutrition problems of newborns, infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women and adolescent females as well as multifactorial issues that negatively affect the development of newborns, infants and young children, integrating the short, medium and long term plans of the government to end hunger, improve health and nutrition and reduce malnutrition.”. This law also covers the implementation of the “First 1000 Days” which aims to provide services starting from prenatal care up to the first 2 years of life. These services can help reduce maternal mortality and improve infant survival. These services include:

• Pregnancy tracking, antenatal care services, and regular follow up, especially for high-risk pregnancies
• Maternal immunizations: Tetanus and Diphtheria toxoid vaccine
• Empowering women on birth and emergency plans, breastfeeding, rooming-in, and counseling
• Counseling on maternal nutrition, and appropriate young child feeding practices
• Provision of micronutrient supplements such as iron, folic acid, calcium, iodine, and other micronutrients
• Promotion of the use of iodized salt and fortified foods

Moreover, the law strengthens the enforcement of the “Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009” which aims to protect, promote, and support optimal infant and young child feeding and maternity protection which includes the following services:

• Counseling on proper infant and young child feeding including breastfeeding and complementary feeding
• Lactation breaks in workplaces
• Lactation stations in workplaces
• Breastfeeding support groups

 Aside from these, the law also covers nutrition for adolescent females and nutrition during natural disasters and calamities which prioritize nutritionally at-risk groups such as young adolescent females, pregnant and lactating mothers as well as their children.

RA 11210: 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law

One of the factors that hinder exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months is the need for mothers to return to work after 60-day maternity leave. Now, paid maternity leave is extended to 105 days or up to 3 months through RA 11210 or the “105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law” of 2019. This gives mothers more time for recovery and more opportunities for exclusive breastfeeding. All qualified women are entitled to 105 days of paid maternity leave with 100 percent of the average daily salary credit regardless of delivery type (vaginal delivery or cesarean delivery) and have an option to extend to an unpaid maternity leave of 30 days after their paid maternity leave.

Through this law, lactating women are still able to practice breastfeeding even as an employee and be able to attend to their own health while recovering from birth.

The above-mentioned laws are just some of the examples of how women are prioritized in nutrition strategies to improve health and prevent diseases that may lead to maternal death and even poor health outcomes for infants. Prioritizing women’s health and nutrition can bring exponential benefits to women’s role in the family, workplace, society, and in nurturing the next generation.

//AET

References:

[1] Philippine Commission on Women (2022). 2022 National Women’s Month Celebration. GOVPH. Date Accessed 02 March 2022. Retrieved from https://pcw.gov.ph/2022-national-womens-month-celebration/.

[2] Republic of the Philippines: Congress of the Philippines (2018) RA 11148. “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act”.

[3] Republic of the Philippines: Congress of the Philippines (2019). RA 11210. 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law. The LawPhil Project: Philippine Laws and Jurisprudence Databank. Retrieved from https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2019/ra_11210_2019.html