The Commission on Population, in partnership with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund join the celebration of this year’s World Population Day (WPD) on July 11, 2017 at the National Government Center, Quezon City. With the theme, Family Planning: Empowering People; Developing Nations (Pagpaplano ng Pamilya: Lakas ng Sambayanan; Kaunlaran ng Pamayanan), WPD 2017 puts premium on the crucial role of family planning in nation building.
The 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) revealed that one in 10 young Filipino women aged 15 to 19 is already a mother or pregnant with her first child. Likewise, one in five poor married women and one in four uneducated married women has unmet need for family planning. The same study also showed that women who participate in household decision making are more likely to use a family planning method. Decision making and taking control of one’s self are indeed catalysts for social and national development.
Empowerment, as the theme underscores, encourages women and couples to be more confident in claiming their reproductive rights, especially their right choose when to have children and how many in accordance to their socio-economic, emotional and psychological capacity. Family Planning, globally, also contributes to the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“Investing in Family Planning is investing in the health and rights of women and couples worldwide. These investments yield economic gains that can propel a country’s development forward,” POPCOM Executive Director Dr. Juan Antonio A. Perez III stressed.
Chairperson of the POPCOM Board Ernesto Pernia also emphasized the full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law particularly the provision of family planning (FP) services as a critical component of economic development in the Philippines. The Philippines is committed to reach an additional four (4) million women of reproductive age and men practicing modern family planning every year. These are new FP acceptors; shifters from traditional to modern FP methods; and re-starters of FP. This contributes to the global target to expand access to FP services to 120 Million by 2020.
"When women and girls are able to make informed reproductive choices they can better plan and manage their future, securing a more promising future for themselves, their families, their country and the world,” said Klaus Beck, UNFPA Country Representative.
As part of the celebration, POPCOM conducted a health caravan for the residents of Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City. Three hundred (300) men and women were given family planning services such as condoms, pills, injectables, IUD, natural family planning, and referral services for methods such as implant, BTL, and NSV.
Other services such as pap smear, laboratory services, and medical/dental services such as general check-up and free medicines were also available. The caravan was held simultaneously with regional and local activities such as fora, press conferences, media guestings, film showing, provision of Family Planning services, U4U and KATROPA or Kalalakihang Tapat sa Responsibilidad at Obligasyon sa Pamilya among others.
In January of this year, President Duterte issued Executive Order No. 12 to intensify and accelerate the implementation of critical actions necessary to attain and sustain “zero unmet need for modern family planning” for all poor households by 2018 and beyond. It also enjoins all local government units to accelerate mechanisms and strategies to attain the said purpose through the strict implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law.
With this, POPCOM, together with other government agencies, civil society organizations and development partners, strongly believe in the resounding call — Ang Pagpaplano ng Pamilya ay lakas ng sambayanan; kaunlaran ng pamayanan!
