Moms gather in Taguig to donate breast milk for Taal babies
MANILA, Philippines — Nursing mothers gathered in Taguig City to collect breast milk, which will be donated to the mothers and babies displaced by the erupting Taal Volcano in Batangas.
Around 400 mothers attended a milk-letting activity at the Lakeshore Tent in Lower Bicutan, Taguig Thursday.
The donated breast milk will be stored and processed by the Taguig City Human Milk Bank. The milk will be pasteurized to ensure it is safe and clean before it is delivered to evacuation centers in Batangas.
“Nobody will dispute that breast milk is best for babies. But what do we do when, for some reason, a mother cannot provide that for her baby? There are moms who breastfeed but during a state of stress, the milk supply gets affected. That’s why we are trying to help out to those in need,” Sen. Pia Cayetano said.
She urged other local government units to initiate their own breast milk letting activities.
“Even if there are no calamities, breast milk letting remains a good practice,” Cayetano said.
State volcanologists strongly recommended the total evacuation of Taal Volcano Island and high-risk areas within the 14-kilometer radius from Taal Main Crater and along the Pansipit River Valley, where fissuring has been observed.
Nearly 40,000 families or over 147,000 have been taking temporary shelter in 500 evacuation centers since Taal Volcano erupted to life more than a week ago.
While the volcano has become “less energetic,” Alert Level 4 remains in effect, which means a potentially catastrophic blast could still happen. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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