IF you are a nursing mother working or transacting business at the Credit Information Corp. (CIC), you will have to walk the equivalent of a full-sized basketball court from the breastfeeding room to the lavatory if you need to wash your hands before feeding your baby or pumping milk.
State auditors have warned CIC officials that they could face sanctions ranging from reprimand or suspension and even dismissal from service due to violations found at the agency’s lactation station.
The 2022 audit report on the CIC released last April 19 revealed the agency’s nursing room is not compliant with the standards for privacy, comfort, and safety for new mothers set under RA No. 7600 or the Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Act of 1992 and RA No. 10028 or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009.
“(A) lavatory for handwashing was not available in the lactation station and the nearest accessible lavatory is in the female restroom which is approximately 30 meters away from the lactation room,” auditors noted.
The Commission on Audit noted that under the law, a lactation station is supposed to provide the basic facilities necessary to ensure convenience, safety, and privacy of the mother and her child.
These include a hand-washing station, power outlets for breast pumps, a small table, comfortable seats, and a refrigeration unit to ensure safe storage of milk free from risk of contamination or spoilage.
Auditors said CIC provided a refrigerator inside its lactation room but laxity in implementing the breastfeeding law meant everyone in the agency had access to the storage appliance and mothers have to compete for space with non-nursing co-workers.
“While refrigeration was available, the fridge was usually stocked with food and other food products of employees,” auditors said.
The CIC senior vice president for finance explained that the lactation room was formerly part of the cashier’s office that was converted for the purpose despite limited available space and resources.
