Lawmaker warns of rise in child mortality

MANILA, Philippines - An administration lawmaker warned yesterday that the country’s bid to attain the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing child mortality and improving the nutritional status of Filipino children is being threatened by lobbying in Congress to weaken the Milk Code.

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy said the proposed amendments to the Milk Code seek to weaken the campaign for breastfeeding and allow multinational firms manufacturing infant formulas to advertise their products.

She said there has been a slowdown in attempts to improve the nutritional status of children as noted in government statistics released between 2008 to 2011.

Citing a recent study conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, the lawmaker said malnutrition, which kills at least 2.6 million children annually around the globe, remains a main concern of government.

“At least three million Filipino children aged 0 to five years old are underweight, while four million are short for their age,” Herrera-Dy said.

She warned the incidence of malnutrition among children may worsen if attempts to water down the law promoting breastfeeding succeed in Congress.

“Despite a slowdown in improving the nutritional status of children in the past three years, the Philippines remains on track in meeting its MDG pledge by 2015. However, these improvements will be spoiled if the so-called Milk Monster bill is enacted into law,” she said.

She said according to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, Philippine child deaths per 1,000 live births have decreased from 59 in 1990 to 29 in 2000. Health experts have pointed to breastfeeding as one factor that helped reduce mortality among children.

Herrera-Dy said various groups have supported the call to block the enactment of the bill which seeks to lift restrictions in the advertising and promotion of milk formula and other artificial feeding products for children below three years old.

The Department of Health (DOH), WHO, and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) earlier called the proposed bill amending the Milk Code and other existing laws on breastfeeding “damaging” to families, mothers and children.

Run for children

Meanwhile, at least 150 children have scheduled on Oct. 16 the 42-kilometer Race for Survival marathon relay to call for wider public awareness on the issue of child survival.

Herrera-Dy called on the public to support the Race for Survival being organized by Save the Children with the support of celebrity actor Dingdong Dantes of the Yes Pinoy Foundation; Rizal Gov. Junjun Ynares and entrepreneur Bam Aquino.

Save the Children has been in the frontline of the opposition to the consolidated Milk Monster bill that is pending in the House committees on trade and industry, and on health.