13/08/2026
๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ซ, ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ค ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ข๐ง๐
About 250 health professionals from hospitals nationwide gathered at the Taguig Convention Center for the 6th Scientific Conference of the Human Milk Bank Association of the Philippines (HMBAP), which focused on improving the safety, technology and sustainability of human milk banking.
Hosted by the City through the Taguig-Pateros District Hospital Department of Pediatrics and Taguig City Human Milk Bank on Tuesday, August 11, the conference carried the theme, โAdvancing Human Milk Banking Practices: Safer, Smarter, and Stronger Systems.โ
HMBAP President Dr. Estrella Olonan-Jusi reminded participants of their collective mission to build โbridges between mothers who generously give and babies who need; bridges between hospitals and communities; and bridges among government, healthcare professionals, partners, and advocates who share one common purpose.โ
โAs we celebrate how far human milk banking has come, let us also look ahead to the work that remains: there are still babies to raise, partnerships to strengthen, and systems to build. So today, let us learn from one another, share our experiences, strengthen our partnerships, and most importantly, turn what we learn into meaningful action,โ Olonan-Jusi said.
Mayor Lani Cayetano, the conference keynote speaker, thanked HMBAP for choosing Taguig as host and highlighted the importance of sustained investments in maternal and infant health:
โA mother should be able to give birth knowing that she will have access to proper care. A premature or sick infant should have every possible chance to receive the nutrition they need. And when a mother is unable to provide enough breast milk for her baby, there should be a safe and reliable system ready to help. This is why Taguig has invested in maternal and infant health as a continuum of care. For us, the Human Milk Bank is not an isolated program. It is part of a larger commitment to the health of mothers and their children."
Mayor Lani also cited programs supporting maternal and child health, including the Safe Motherhood Program, Infant Care Project and Buntis Congress, which form part of Taguigโs goal of becoming a fully Transformative, Lively and Caring community.
The conference featured three thematic symposia focusing on safer, smarter and stronger human milk banking systems.
For the โSaferโ symposium, Olonan-Jusi discussed human milk bank standards, monitoring and evaluation to ensure milk safety, while Dr. James Chin, head of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center Human Milk Bank, tackled emergency preparedness to ensure continued access to safe donor milk.
The โSmarterโ symposium focused on the digitalization of human milk banking. Jerome Punzalan, vice president for operations of Blackfort Consulting Inc.; Dr. Fay De Ocampo, head of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital Human Milk Bank; and Dr. Tuan Thanh Nguyen, assistant professor at the College of Sciences of VinUniversity in Vietnam, discussed human milk bank information systems, from their development and implementation to areas for further improvement.
The โStrongerโ symposium focused on advancing human milk banking systems through partnerships. Atty. Jyn Aragon, MD, Medical Officer IV of the Department of Health, discussed governance, policy and strategic leadership, while Dr. Sertac Arslanoglu, administrative director of the Division of Neonatology and Department of Pediatrics at Istanbul Medeniyet University in Turkey, discussed the European SoHO Regulation.
A panel discussion on โBuilding Stronger Human Milk Banking Systems: Collaborations for Safety, Innovations, and Sustainabilityโ was also held.
The panel included Dr. Cecille Montales, Taguig's Deputy Administrator for Health and Social Services; Josefina Serneo, Nutritionist-Dietitian IV of the Department of Health Center for Health Development-Metro Manila; Dr. Aurora Gloria Libadia, HMBAP treasurer; and Atty. Angely Medalle-Alviar, Administrative and Legal Services Director IV of the Department of Science and Technology TCHMB Milk Donor Galloner.
Organizations that helped safely transport and deliver pasteurized expressed breast milk during disasters were also recognized including Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Barangay Panghulo in Malabon City.
Partner exhibitors also showcased motherhood essentials, vitamins and supplements, and human milk banking equipment during the conference.
The scientific conference followed HMBAPโs 7th General Assembly held on Monday, August 10, at the New Taguig City Hall.
