Solons Cry Foul Over PopCom’s New Policy

Authors of the proposed measure on Responsible Parenthood and Population Management (HB 3773) accused the Commission on Population of going against Filipinos’ basic right to health and informed choice following the latter’s announcement of its latest policy and program directions solely on natural family planning during the National Population Congress last week.
PopCom’s policy and program directions, as revealed, outline the commission’s focus on providing only natural family planning services from the national down to the barangay levels, leaving the provision of other methods to the discretion of local governments.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, principal author of HB 3773, says, "This program direction of PopCom will reverse the gains in lowering fertility and slowing down population growth to propel national development. It is impossible to achieve the government’s 1.9 percent population growth rate target if PopCom would disregard other legally permissible and medically-safe family planning methods."
International and local studies have established that natural methods are not for everyone. For example, the standard days method is effective only for women whose menstrual cycles fall between 26-32 days and require the unfailing cooperation by the husband as the couple must abstain from sex for 12 consecutive days during the woman’s fertile period.
Various national surveys of the National Statistics Office have also revealed that Filipinos prefer modern family planning methods, with pills as the consistent number 1 method of choice.
"Natural family planning is not for everyone; therefore, you (people) will isolate the majority of women who prefers modern and artificial methods. Focusing only on natural method is disempowering to women as it deprives them of universal access to the whole range of family planning methods so that they can choose what is most appropriate for their bodies, in accordance, of course, with their beliefs," explains Akbayan Party List Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel (PLCPD Member and co-author of HB 3773).
Another co-author, Cavite Representative Gilbert Remulla (PLCPD Board Member) adds, "This is an escapist strategy of addressing reproductive health and population concerns. If government claim it is concerned about women’s fear of side effects and complications, and the general acceptability of modern methods, then, a program to educate people on the pros and cons of all methods is the answer, rather than a policy imposing only one method."
Bukidnon Representative Neric Acosta, Chairperson of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, a group of legislators who have been pushing for a national law on population and development since the 9th Congress, explained, "This situation goes to show just how badly we need a definitive national policy on population and reproductive health. Otherwise, national agencies can always change their policies and programs depending on the whim of whoever is in power, and conveniently point at the LGUs to assume their responsibility as national agencies." /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com