Reproductive Health Advocacy Groups, PLCPD Seek The Commitment Of Candidates To Reproductive Health Law’s Implementation

It is very crucial to get the meaningful commitment of candidates in the 2016 national and local elections to ensure that the Reproductive Health Law’s implementation will not be hampered and instead be fully supported to pursue economic development and in solving the current problems of the country.

This was one of the pertinent issues raised by advocates and groups led by Executive Director Romeo E. Dongeto of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD), during the launching of its voter’s education campaign held on Tuesday at the Sulo Riviera Hotel in Quezon City.

According to Dongeto, the RH Law or Republic Act No. 10354 which took 14 years to be passed into law, was “shaken” by the Php1-billion reduction of the budget of the Department of Health (DOH) initiated in December by two senators in the Senate-House bicameral conference committee.

The Php1-billion amount was particularly slashed from the budget for the family planning commodities which plays an important role in the implementation of the RH Law.

It maybe recalled that after the advocates of RH Law learned about the budget slash, they conducted various forums to question the act and called for the senators and congressmen and other officials of the government to do something about it.

As a result, Health Secretary Janette L. Garin discussed the matter with Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and explained to them the “impact” of the budget cut in the DOH’s family planning (FP) commodities.

As a remedy not to hinder the RH Law’s implementation, a portion of the 2015 budget that the DOH has already allocated for the purchase of blood pressure apparatus was then realigned to the FP commodities.

It was also agreed upon that other portions will come from local and international partners and any savings that will be declared by the end of the year will then be used for the FP commodities.

Senator Legarda assured in that meeting that she will make representations with the next President of the Philippines to allow the use of DOH savings for the purchase of family planning commodities.

The RH Law (R.A. 10354) was passed in 2012 by Congress, but its constitutionality was questioned by those against it. Fortunately, it was declared “constitutional” in April 2014 by the Supreme Court.

“It is critical therefore that we engage candidates’ commitment to fund and ensure the meaningful RH Law implementation,” Dongeto said.

He cited that in the two years of the implementation of the law, there was an increase in the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) for modern family planning methods from 39 percent in 2012 to 46 percent in 2014, according to the Population Commission.

In data from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), it was noted that there was a decrease in the maternal mortality ratio, or the number of deaths per 100,000 live births, from 129 in 2013 to 114 in 2015 due to the implementation of the RH Law.

From the same data, it was learned that the population growth rate in the country had also slowed down from 1.9 percent in 2010 to 1.7 percent in 2015.

Dongeto said that at present, about seven million Filipino women still have unmet needs in all family planning methods.

He also said that any budget that will not be provided by the next set of elective officials can bring severe blow to the efforts achieved already under the Millennium Development Goal 5.

Meanwhile, former DOH and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dr. Esperanza Cabral, an advocate of the RH Law, who was also present in the launching of the campaign, said that the implementation of the law should be continuously guarded by the people and be assured by the next set of leaders to protect the interest of the women sector and families.

On top of that, she added that the RH Law implementation is also vital in solving issues on economic growth and development of the country.

The former lady chief of the two agencies focusing on health and welfare in the past administrations noted that it will be difficult for poor parents to provide all the basic needs of children of families that did not plan the number of their children.

Some of these needs are to let them live, grow in a sustaining and conducive environment, get proper nutrition and enough education, and be provided with clothing, etc.

Dr. Cabral further said that giving the women/families the option to choose the number of their children will in effect help mitigate other compounding problems such as poverty, lack of sufficient foods, nutrition, and climate. change, etc.

She stressed said it is important for the voters to be analytical in choosing the right candidates that can shape the issues and concerns and address the current challenges the country and the people are facing. (PNA) SCS/LSJ