By Marie Tonette Marticio PALO, LEYTE – The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) is bringing the conduct of the Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning (RPFP) class to the airwaves in order to reach out to couples and individuals in the communities needing information and services on family planning. Via RPFP-On-The-Air, the radio program will also serve as a support mechanism for POPCOM 8 and local population offices in different cities and provinces for its demand generation and family planning service provision. Elnora Pulma, POPCOM 8 regional director, said that for 2020, their target is set to reach 64,396 couples to be provided with information and given an informed choice on their desired family planning service. Some 7,738 couples are targeted to be served with any of the family planning methods. "POPCOM 8 sees that radio is the most common and pervasive medium of receiving information in Eastern Visayas today. Radio has the capacity to reach a wider audience because it is relatively affordable, accessible, easy to use, and available even in mobile phones," she said. She said radio communication remains one of the most effective avenues for reaching target audiences especially at the grassroots level to raise awareness, education, and motivate the community to adopt family planning. Just like the regular conduct of an RPFP class, pre-COVID time, the radio program will provide its listening couples, women of reproductive age and other individuals with information on RPFP, which include family planning (FP) methods and available services within the community, and other related sexual and reproductive health concerns through radio. "These listeners can also be provided referral services of desired FP methods through the Barangay Population Volunteers (BPVs) with the assistance of POPCOM 8," she added The program shall also support the dissemination of accurate information about COVID-19, particularly on how to prevent the transmission of the disease, and referral to appropriate service providers. The RPFP Program aims to enable couples and individuals to achieve their fertility intentions specifically on the number, timing, and spacing of children within the context of responsible parenthood and informed choice. "With the COVID-19 pandemic, and the implementation of General Community Quarantine (GCQ) in almost all parts of Eastern Visayas, the access and delivery of family planning (FP) information and services can be interrupted. Interrupted FP services may lead to higher unmet need for modern FP and subsequently unintended pregnancies," Pulma said.