Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Mothers collect breast milk during a milk-letting event in Taguig City on January 23, 2020 to be donated to help displaced mothers and babies affected by the Taal Volcano eruption last January 12. Mothers are urged to breastfeed or provide breastmilk to their infants given the risk of illness due to lack of potable water in evacuation centers. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

Article (news)

Breastmilk best for baby evacuees

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177837798160220200123-taal-breatsmilk-letting-taguig-MD-6011.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Mothers collect breast milk during a milk-letting event in Taguig City on January 23, 2020 to be donated to help displaced mothers and babies affected by the Taal Volcano eruption last January 12. Mothers are urged to breastfeed or provide breastmilk to their infants given the risk of illness due to lack of potable water in evacuation centers.<em> Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA — In the Philippines, mothers hold a place of deep honor. They are often seen as the heart of the home—the quiet strength behind families, the steady hands that nurture, provide, and hold everything together. Across generations, Filipino mothers have shaped not only households, but communities and the nation itself.</div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/02/23/23/one-woman-dies-every-2-mins-in-pregnancy-childbirth-un">One woman dies every 2 minutes in pregnancy, childbirth: UN</a></div><p>Yet behind this reverence lies a more complex reality.</p><p>From the very beginning—pregnancy—many women already face significant risks and barriers. Strong policies such as the Universal Health Care Act and the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act exist, but for many women—especially those in low-income communities, disaster-affected areas, or conflict settings—safe motherhood is still not guaranteed.While the Philippines has taken an important step forward with the recent expansion of PhilHealth maternity benefits, more than doubling coverage for both normal and cesarean deliveries, challenges in access and implementation persist.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/10/19/22/more-filipino-mothers-are-dying-at-childbirth-new-data-says">More Filipino mothers are dying at childbirth, new data says</a></div><p>Despite the decreasing maternal mortality, the numbers remain sobering. In 2024 alone, 119 women died for every 100,000 live births according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. These are not just statistics; they are lives lost to largely preventable causes. Every maternal death tells a story of a woman who expected to return home with her child, but never did.</p><p>For those who survive childbirth, another set of challenges begins.</p><p>Motherhood often comes with what is known as the “motherhood penalty”—reduced income, stalled career growth, and limited opportunities. Many workplaces still fall short in supporting working mothers and there are persistent gaps in maternity protection. In the informal sector, where many Filipino women work, social protection remains limited or nonexistent.</p><p>At home, the imbalance continues. Women carry the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work—raising children, managing households, and caring for family members—often on top of paid employment. Gender norms continue to reinforce the idea that caregiving is primarily a woman’s responsibility: that of mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters.</p><p>This must change. Fathers, and men, must be equally engaged in caregiving. Care is a shared responsibility between men and women. When men participate fully at home, families thrive, women are empowered, and societies benefit from what is called the “gender dividend”—the social and economic gains that come from greater equality. Care is a fundamental human right and its accomplishment can not be a responsibility only for women. Care work needs to be redistributed among family members and the community.</p><p>At the same time, we must affirm a fundamental truth: motherhood is both a right and a choice.</p><p>We must support women who choose to become mothers—and also respect those who cannot, or choose not to. No woman should be defined or judged solely by her decision around motherhood. Social pressure, stigma, and expectations should never override a woman’s autonomy over her own body and life.</p><p>Motherhood is not just a personal and transformative journey that brings joy and love. It is shaped by the systems and societies around it. It carries costs—not only financial, but physical, emotional, and professional. Today that we celebrate Mothers Day, let’s remember as a society that this is all year&#x27;s work that we need to value, support and protect.</p><p>The path forward is clear: strengthen health systems to ensure safe pregnancy and childbirth for all; expand social protection systems; promote equitable workplaces; challenge harmful gender norms by encouraging shared caregiving responsibilities and the development of shared care policies and programmes.</p><p>Today, we honor not only mothers.</p><p>To every Inay, Mama, Momshie, and Mommy— to grandmothers who continue to nurture across generations, to women who care for others as if they were their own, to those who long to become mothers, and to those who have chosen a different path but continue to build and care for communities—Happy Mother’s Day.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong><em>About the Author: </em></strong><em>Neus Bernabeu, is the Country Representative of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in the Philippines. With more than 20 years of experience in international development, she has spearheaded initiatives on gender equality, youth empowerment, and human rights across Latin America and the Caribbean and the Philippines. She is the mother of two young men.</em></div><div><br/></div><div><em><strong>About UNFPA: </strong>UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person&#x27;s potential is fulfilled.</em></div><div><br/></div><div><em></em></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><em></em><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dPrIam2uh3w?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Motherhood often comes with what is known as the “motherhood penalty”—reduced income, stalled career growth, and limited opportunities.</p>

Motherhood often comes with what is known as the “motherhood penalty”—reduced income, stalled career growth, and limited opportunities.

OPINION: Motherhood—A journey of roses and thorns

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OPINION: Motherhood—A journey of roses and thorns

Neus Bernabeu,

UNFPA representative in the Philippines

Published May 10, 2026 10:00 AM PHT

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