The regional office of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) strongly advised donors to stop sending milk donations to victims of recent earthquakes at evacuation centers to avoid potential risks.
Dr. Maria Teresa Ungson, regional coordinator of NNC 11 told media that donating powdered, evaporated or condensed milk poses risks of diarrhea among children in the evacuation centers.
Ungson said the first reported milk donation was in Makilala where the milk donated came from Davao City donors.
“Meron tayong implementing rules and regulations of the DOH that stated we should not give milk donation during emergency. Why? Kasi sa emergency mas lalo puwedeng lumala ang sitwasyon ng mga bata pag gatas na powdered milk or infant formula or even condensed milk or evaporated milk kasi lalagyan pa ito ng tubig. Ang tubig we are not sure if it is safe. May mga cases na ng diarrhea and what we want is to give the best milk to our babies which is breast milk,” she said.
Ungson added that donating milk violated Executive Order No. 51 also known and cited as the “National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, Breastmilk Supplement and Other Related Products” that aims to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by the protection and promotion of breast feeding and by ensuring the proper use of breastmilk substitutes and breastmilk supplements when these are necessary, on the basis of adequate information and through appropriate marketing and distribution.
“We would like to stress that we are still pushing for breastfeeding even in emergency situation. We had just earthquakes in Davao and because of that we have activated the emergency clusters such as nutrition cluster in the region,” she said.
She said following the series of earthquakes that hit Davao City and some parts of Mindanao emergency clusters were automatically activated including the nutrition council in the region.
“Umiikot kami kasama ng mga partners like UNICEF at DOH at nakita namin na may mga donation na gatas sa mga evacuation camps. Pinapa-hold namin lahat ang gatas being donated. Pag may nahalo na gatas sa donation talagang i-confiscate yun and will go to the kitchen of the camp. They will use that when they cooked champorado seguro. They can access other food but the milk is really covered by the law,” Ungson added.
The NNC 11, which is part of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Social Services and Welfare Development (DSWD) cluster that ensure protection of children during emergencies emphasized no breast milk substitutes should be distributed in the emergency camps.
“There are some like NGOs who are giving milk like sachet na mga gatas. Bakit kami natatakot dito kasi pag emergency ang pinakamadaling gawin ay breastfeeding. We are really stressing that only breast milk should be given to the babies,” she said.
Ungson said milk donations will be held in the camps and will not be given directly to the families. She also said they have already coordinated with the camp managers to control milk donations and to police milk donations in the evacuation centers.
“Kasi ang tendency ng mga nanay ibigay ang gatas sa bata,” she said.
Ungson said one of their protocols is to set up breastfeeding corners in the evacuation camps for mothers to breastfeed their babies.
