The UNFPA Philippines Country Office observed today the World Population Day with a forum focused on the use of census data with improvement of social services, including reproductive health. The event was co-organized with the Commission on Population and the National Statistics Office.

Speakers at the forum unanimously called for using the census data to address the real needs of the population and voiced out their support for a national reproductive health policy to accelerate progress on targets for MDG 5. Congressman Edcel Lagman announced that he has re-filed a reproductive health bill in the new Congress, while newly-appointed Health Secretary Enrique Ona said improvement of maternal health, including support for RH legislation, is one of the priorities of the new government under its health agenda.

Other speakers were NSO Deputy Administrator Monina Collado and a youth advocate. UNFPA Representative Suneeta Mukherjee closed the program with a message urging the inclusion of maternal deaths in the next round of censuses. The UN Resident Coordinator Jacqui Badcock, other UN agencies and reproductive health champions lent their support to the UNFPA event. It was well-covered by major print, TV and wire news agencies