NCM 107

Maternal and Child Care

Common Reproductive Health Bills and DOH Programs

Arizz Baquinquito
3/7/2019
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Republic of the Philippines

CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES
Metro Manila

Fourteenth Congress
Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-seventh day of July, two thousand nine.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10028

AN ACT EXPANDING THE PROMOTION OF BREASTFEEDING, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7600, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT PROVIDING INCENTIVES TO ALL
GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE HEALTH INSTITUTIONS WITH ROOMING-IN AND
BREASTFEEDING PRACTICES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES"

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of
2009".

Section 2. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 7600 is hereby amended to read as follows:

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State adopts rooming-in as a national policy to encourage, protect
and support the practice of breastfeeding. It shall create an environment where basic physical,
emotional, and psychological needs of mothers and infants are fulfilled through the practice of rooming-
in and breastfeeding.

"The State shall likewise protect working women by providing safe and healthful working conditions,
taking into account their maternal functions, and such facilities and opportunities that will enhance their
welfare and enable them to realize their full potential in the service of the nation. This is consistent with
international treaties and conventions to which the Philippines is a signatory such as the Convention on
the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which emphasizes provision of necessary
supporting social services to enable parents to combine family obligations with work responsibilities; the
Beijing Platform for Action and Strategic Objective, which promotes harmonization of work and family
responsibilities for women and men; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes a
child's inherent right to life and the State's obligations to ensure the child's survival and development.

"Breastfeeding has distinct advantages which benefit the infant and the mother, including the hospital
and the country that adopt its practice. It is the first preventive health measure that can be given to the
child at birth. It also enhances mother-infant relationship. Furthermore, the practice of breastfeeding
could save the country valuable foreign exchange that may otherwise be used for milk importation.

"Breastmilk is the best food since it contains essential nutrients completely suitable for the infant's
needs. It is also nature's first immunization, enabling the infant to fight potential serious infection. It
contains growth factors that enhance the maturation of an infant's organ systems.

"Towards this end, the State shall promote and encourage breastfeeding and provide the specific
measures that would present opportunities for mothers to continue expressing their milk and/or
breastfeeding their infant or young child.

Approved: March 16, 2010

(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

President of the Philippines

https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2010/ra_10028_2010.html
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Reaction:
In the nursing academe, the relevance of providing client-centered care is greatly emphasized
and in this Republic Act there is a holistic provision regarding the needs of a newborn child and as well
as the mother during pregnancy and postpartum stage. It also meets the need of establishing a primary
foundation in the relationship of the mother and child and at the same time supports the wellness of the
newborn as it promotes breastfeeding. This Republic act is a great support in promoting Maternal and
Child Health Care in our country.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH INTEGRATED PROGRAM (MCHIP) - PHILIPPINES

In the Philippines, the Government’s 2011 Family Health Survey showed that maternal mortality
increased from 162 to 221 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2006 and 2011. The unmet need for
effective family planning (FP) services was a major contributor to the increase in maternal mortality.

The Philippines lags behind the rest of Southeast Asia in the provision of FP services, mainly because
of challenges in national policy and years of limited support for delivery of FP and reproductive health
services.

One of the gaps identified in the provision of FP services is the lack of availability of contraceptive
choices immediately following childbirth, especially long-acting and permanent family planning methods
(LAPM). During the postpartum period, an intrauterine device (IUD) or tubal ligation, both LAPMs, can
be very effective options for women who want to space or limit child bearing.

The United States Agency for International Development’s Maternal and Child Health Integrated
Program (MCHIP) in the Philippines is a 21-month program (July 2012-March 2014) that works with the
Government of the Philippines towards addressing the unmet need for postpartum family planning in the
country.

ACTIVITIES
 Advocacy for PPFP/PPIUD to support the DOH to create a favorable environment for FP. MCHIP
will develop Advocacy paper for repositioning of PPFP/PPIUD with PPIUD as an integral method for
PPFP in collaboration with other agencies and programs.
 Resources for Service Delivery and Training for PPFP/PPIUD in the form of a) center of
excellence in selected regions based at the Centre for Health and Development/ DOH Retained
Hospitals, including two in Luzon, two in Visayas, four in Mindanao, and two in Metro Manila; b)
documentation of best practices and follow up assessment to support replication to other sites; c)
updated service delivery guideline for FP with PPFP/PPIUD information; and d) technical resource to
other agencies to expand the PPFP/PPIUD services through training and supportive supervision.
 Support to discrete activities on Maternal and Newborn health that include: a) building capacity
of newly hired midwives in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM); and b) facilitating
a consultancy from a newborn expert to identify a set of activities that MCHIP can propose related to
Kangaroo Mother Care and newborn resuscitation.
 MCHIP-Philippines will also be partnering with the Regional Integrated MNCHN-FP Scale Up
projects in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to support their effort to expand access to postpartum
family planning in their respective regions.
GOAL
To create an enabling policy environment for postpartum family planning/postpartum intrauterine
devices (PPFP/PPIUD), to establish resources and capacity for service delivery, and to provide training
for PPFP/PPIUD adoption and scale-up through provision of technical assistance to the Department of
Health (DOH).
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Last updated: September 14, 2015

https://www.usaid.gov/philippines/health/mchip
Reaction:
Overpopulation is an inevitable reality and programs such as Family Planning have been one of our
government’s aid in minimizing it. Overpopulation does not only insinuate overcrowding but it actually
induces more problems such as poverty, pollution, malnutrition and etc. Therefore people in the
community should have more accessibility towards it and be more informed regarding this matter.

Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS -
First Regular House Bill No. 760

Introduced by DIWA Party-list Representative Emmeline Y. Aglipay — Villar

EXPLANATORY NOTE
In the Philippines, ninety five children die every single day due to malnutrition. The state of a child’s
health depends on a healthy mother during pregnancy and even prior to conception. Thirty-two million
babies are born Small for their Gestational Age and fetal growth restrictions cause more than 800,000
deaths each year in the first month of life, which accounts for more than 25% of all newborn deaths.’
Many of these tragedies could be prevented if mothers are given proper care during pregnancy. During
pregnancy mothers should be receiving optimum amounts of folic acid, protein, calcium and other
micronutrients in order to ensure the proper growth and development of the fetus.
Newborns with fetal growth restrictions are at an increased risk of being stunted at twenty-four months
and developing non-communicable diseases in adulthood.” Undernutrition due to fetal growth
restrictions, suboptimum breastfeeding or total absence of breastfeeding, and vitamin and mineral
deficiencies, among others, causes 45% of all deaths of children below five years of age. This
strengthens the case for particular attention to be given during the first 1000 days of a child’s life, from
conception until the second year.
From conception in the womb until the first two years of a child's life are vital for the child's future mind
and body development. It can be difficult for parents, especially new parents, to navigate the
recommendations from literature, the media, friends, and family, with regard to the proper nutrition for
the child. Without the proper guidance and support, malnutrition is a real threat to many Filipino
children.
' Black RE, Victora CG, Walker SP, and the Maternal and Child Nutrition Study Group, Maternal and
child under-nutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet 2013. * Ibid.
This bill, a re-filing of House Bill No. 5431 by Rep. Rogelio J. Espina, seeks to assist parents in
providing the best possible nutrition for the mother and her children by establishing a nutrition education
and support program for the first thousand days of life of each child, from conception until two years of
age.
House Bill No. 760
Introduced by DIWA Party-list Representative Emmeline Y. Aglipay — Villar
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH CARE PROGRAM TO PROTECT
FILIPINO MOTHERS AND CHILDREN FROM MALNUTRITION AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFORE
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. The Department of Health (DOH) shall, in coordination with the Department of the Interior
and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),
develop a comprehensive health care program for pregnant and lactating women, as well as the health
and nutrition of their newborn children from day 1 to day 1,000.
For purposes of this Act, the “1,000-day period” starts from day one of pregnancy up to the age of two
(2) years.
SECTION 2. The maternal and child health care services which may be provided to eligible individuals
during the 1,000-day period include the following:
a) Instruction and counseling regarding future health care for the mother and child;
b) Nutrition counseling;
c) Counseling and education concerning all aspects of prenatal care, childbirth and motherhood;
d) Milk-feeding program for pregnant and nursing mothers, including breastfeeding for new-born
children;
e) Treating malnourished children with special and therapeutic foods; and
f) General family counseling, including child and family development.
Pregnant women and their new-born children up to the age of two (2) years, shall be entitled to receive
maternal and child health care services provided in this section.
3 of 4 SECTION 3. Appropriations - The amount necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be
charged to the current appropriations for the Department of Health. Thereafter, such sum as may be
necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General
Appropniations Act.
SECTION 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations - Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this
Act, the Secretary of Health shall, in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior and Local
Government and Secretary of Social Welfare and Development promulgate miles and regulations
necessary for the effective implementation of this Act.
SECTION 5. Repealing Clause — All laws, decrees, executive orders, administrative orders or parts
thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a
newspaper of general circulation.
June 30, 2016
http://www.congress.gov.ph/legisdocs/?v=billsresults#16
Reaction:
Not all pregnant women know the things that they should do, and not every one of them has the means
to do or avail the things that they need. Providing free guidance through health teaching and providing
therapy, even food is a way to help those people even if it seems very simple. After all, when u save a
mother and a child, it’s as if you have saved a whole generation that is yet to branch from them.
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