Realizing optimal maternal and child health nutrition is the ultimate concern of the Promotion of Breastfeeding Program. Thus, exclusive breastfeeding in the first four (4) to six (6) months after birth is encouraged as well as enforcement of legal mandates.

The Mother and Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (MBFHI) is the main strategy to transform all hospitals with maternity and newborn services into facilities which fully protect, promote and support breastfeeding and rooming-in practices. The legal mandate to this initiative are the RA 7600 (The Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992) and the Executive Order 51 of 1986 (The Milk Code). National assistance in terms of financial support for this strategy ended year 2000, thus LGUs were advocated to promote and sustain this initiative. To sustain this initiative, the field health personnel has to provide antenatal assistance and breastfeeding counseling to pregnant and lactating mothers as well as to the breastfeeding support groups in the community; there should also be continuous orientation and re-orientation/ updates to newly hired and old personnel, respectively, in support of this initiative.