Population Commission National Executive Director Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III has called on regional directors of the Population Commission to improve their planning and strategy to achieve a zero unmet need for family planning in the country.
Perez made the call during their three-day management meeting in Dumaguete from Jan. 23-25, held at Silliman University.
The challenge was a reiteration of the marching orders of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte which he issued last year.
According to Dr. Perez, the President’s call to maximize their resources in contributing to the target of having one million women every year as members of the family planning program for a period of six years is a tall order.
The PopCom also has a continued campaign against teenage pregnancy, which is also facing a challenge due to the steady growth in the number of pregnant teenagers.
Statistics presented during the conference showed that one out of three adolescents engage in premarital sex.
PopCom intends to mobilize its personnel all over the country to go to the barangays and provide information on family planning and to extend services necessary to achieve a well planned family in coordination with local government units, local health workers including the social welfare office.
Dr. Perez, however, emphasized that it is not their target to reduce population growth but to provide the women and their respective families the opportunity to decide on the method of spacing or limiting the number of children they would like to raise.
Perez disclosed while most women living in the poverty line have at least five children, they actually prefer only two or three children.
He said PopCom is not forcing the issue but merely asking the women what are the services they would like government to extend to them by offering all the methods, artificial or the natural family planning method.
“We will work with the church in providing for the natural family planning but will also offer the artificial method with enough information dissemination on the matter.
Dr. Perez further said use of condom and other contraceptives is part of the program for those who want to space or any other natural methods, in stressing this has a dual purpose that is to prevent sexually transmitted diseases including HIV-AIDS. (JFP/JG)
