By Genalyn Kabiling  The government is aiming to provide 11.3 million women access to modern contraceptives under its intensified family planning program in the country. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) The implementation plan for the National Program on Family Planning (NPFP) was approved by President Duterte and Cabinet during a meeting in Malacañang last Monday night. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the family planning program not only seeks to help reduce poverty but also aims to promote better health and socioeconomic development among Filipinos. "We wish to inform that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, together with members of the Cabinet, approved last night, March 4, the full and intensified Implementation Plan for the National Program on Family Planning which was presented by the Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority, Secretary Ernesto Pernia, and Executive Director of the Commission on Population and Development, Mr. Juan Antonio Perez III,” Panelo said. "The key strategy is the use of effective modern contraceptives where 11.3 million women would be given access to over the next four years. The aim is to increase the usage thereof from 40% to 65%," he said. Panelo said the family planning program aims to prevent 4 million unintended pregnancies and 2 million cases of abortion over the said period. The government’s family planning program likewise aims to reduce poverty incidence from 20 percent to 14 percent in 2022, the year when President Duterte steps down from office, according to Panelo. The country, Panelo noted, has the highest fertility rate and fastest growing population in South Asia. "We understand that a great majority of Filipinos favor family planning but not all of them have access to contraceptives due to various reasons. Accordingly, the government is here to respond and help those who wish to undergo family planning," he said. A joint memorandum circular on revitalizing the family planning program was recently forged by NEDA, Department of Health, and the POPCOM amid the country's growing population. The program involves bringing family planning services and information closer to the people. Back in January 2017, President Duterte signed Executive Order No. 12 which aimed to achieve "zero unmet need for modern family planning" through the strict implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act. Under the EO, the Department of Health, Commission on Population, Department of Interior and Local Government, and other government agencies have been directed to map areas of intervention for couples with unmet need for family planning and capacitate local structures to provide modern family planning commodities and services. These agencies must also conduct intensive community-based demand generation and referral activities within the principle of informed choice and voluntarism, and engage with civil society groups in attaining zero unmet need for family planning in their localities. These strategies must be implemented in coordination with local government agencies.