Milk firms deny bribing lawmakers

MANILA, Philippines – Milk companies denied yesterday bribing congressmen to relax the advertisement ban on milk products intended for infants aged six months and younger.

Grace Quevedo-Panagsagan, lead counsel of the Infant and Pediatric Nutrition Association of the Philippines (IPNAP), said there is no truth to the accusation of Save the Babies Coalition convenor Ines Fernandez that milk companies paid off members of the House of Representatives to approve certain amendments to the Milk Code of the Philippines.

“IPNAP and its members conduct ourselves in civilized manner and do not engage in false accusations that just muddle the issues.  We are responsible for every single action and statement we make.  We owe it to the mothers and kids out there listening to us,” she said in a statement.

The IPNAP’s member firms are Abbot Laboratories, Fonterra Brands, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Nestle and Wyeth.