ASUNCION, Davao del Norte (PIA) — The Municipal Government of Asuncion in Davao del Norte expects to generate substantial volume of human milk for the neonatal babies in critical conditions admitted at the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) based in Tagum City.
The municipal government of Asuncion was the first local government unit in the province to carry out a mass-letting of human milk from lactating mothers who had given birth at DRMC .
Some 40 of them participated the 1st mass human milk letting activity dubbed as “Donate Breastmilk and Save Lives” done on January 22, 2025 at the Municipal Gym of Asuncion, supervised by Asuncion Municipal Nutrition Office and DRMC personnel.
Municipal Nutrition Action Officer Joel M. Andoy explained in an advisory sent to barangays, that the activity was conducted “in line with Republic Act No. 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act , and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) entered into by and between the DRMC and LGU of Asuncion as witnessed by the Barangay Officials and Functionaries” on November 20, 2024.
For a start the human-milk mass-letting conducted drew the participation of lactating mothers from barangays Buclad, New Bantayan, Cambanogoy, Magatos, Cabaywa, and Canatan in the Municipality of Asuncion.
The Municipal Nutrition Office gave each participating mother five kilos of staple rice as an incentive while DRMC handed to each an umbrella and a hygiene kit.
During the event. Municipal Mayor, Atty. Eufracio Dayaday Jr. said that no amount of LGU incentive can compensate the milk donation that lactating mothers have extended to NICU babies who are in dire need of human milk.
“Ang inyong paghatag (your donation) is an act of kindness . Ako nanghinaut nga kining programa mamalahutayon ug magmalampuson (I am hoping that this program will be sustained and will become successful),” he said.
DRMC launched its Human Milk Donation Program on July 17, 2023 to generate support from community mothers for babies in critical conditions including those baby-victims of disaster and emergencies.
DRMC Medical Center Chief, Dr. Bryan O. Dalid in a past interview said that the milk donation program started within the hospital, but to insufficient supply, DRMC was prompted to source out mothers’ milk from communities.
“The supply was not enough due to the increasing number of babies in our NICU, that’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). We went out to Barangay Apokon (Tagum City) but still it’s not sufficient,” he told PIA XI during the launch ceremony in 2023.
Meanwhile, the local government of Asuncion already purchased a freezer to store the mothers’ milk as it intends to bring down to the village levels the drive for “Donate Breastmilk and Save Lives.”
Dayaday issued Executive Order No. 01 series of 2025, creating the Municipal Structure of Coordination on Human Milk Donation Program.
DRMC Human Milk Donation Program coordinator and Health Education Promotion Officer (HEPO), registered nurse Agnes Catoera said this program is a “brainchild of DRMC” that other Department of Health (DOH) hospitals would like to replicate.
She also said that Asuncion is the first LGU in Davao del Norte to have officially rolled out the program, that also serves as a way of tracking the lactating mothers discharged from DRMC. (JMDA, PIA XI photos from LGU Asuncion)
