RH should be an election issue – experts

With only two months before the national and local elections, candidates should discuss in detail where they stand on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), experts said Tuesday.

“I think the issue of reproductive health, right now, at this point, should be an electoral issue,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Jamela Alindogan, who acted as the media's representative at the “A World She Deserves” panel discussion at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Ortigas Center.

Her statement was supported by Commission on Population (PopCom) executive director Jeepy Perez and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)-Philippines country representative Klaus Beck, who both suggested that the next administration have a multi-year plan to address Filipinos' RH needs.

“What we’re thinking that there should be a multi-year support to family planning,” said Perez.

“What’s happening now is that every year we have to campaign or ask Congress to provide funding. If at the start of the administration identify this as a priority, we can put it up as a five-year program. So, no more problems with lack of funding for that period. That would be crucial given more women will need family planning.”

After the General Appropriations Act of 2016 was signed by President Benigno Aquino on December 23, 2015, the Department of Health (DOH) found out that some funds originally earmarked for family health and responsible parenting (FHRP) had been reallocated to other agencies such as the Department of National Defense (DND). In a television interview earlier this year, Health Secretary Dr. Janette Garin revealed that the budget for "family planning commodities" is under threat every time the department budget passes through Congress.

What happens after the elections?

Perez also pointed out that the next government should be prepared in terms of logistics and budget since the number of women of reproductive age is expected to balloon in the next five years.

“We have 23 million women in reproductive age right now. In the next five years, which is in the time of the next administration, this will go up to 30 million. With 30 million women of reproductive age, 2/3 of them will need family planning,” he said.

Meanwhile, Beck pointed out a few issues that are critical in improving the reproductive health in the Philippines, given that it is lagging behind its Southeast Asian neighbors.

“The question is, what will happen after the elections? Will there still be continued implementation of the [Reproductive Health] Law full speed? This goes to the candidates elected into positions: Are they going to introduce funding for the Law? Will they be the ones to implement it? Those are some of the questions that are important we need to get answers from the candidates,” he said.

RH Law in LGUs

Perez noted other problems the next administration should address to improve the state of Filipinos' reproductive health.

One of these is implementation of the Reproductive Health Law in the local government units, both in Metro Manila and elsewhere in the nation. Perez reported that there are cities or provinces that are against distribution of contraceptives to the residents, and that PopCom had to ask them to restore the services. In one case, the Department of Interior and Local Government had to step in.

“The mayor declared the city a pro-life city and she would ask the people if they really want the family planning. We wrote her and we asked her to restore the services,” he explained.

Poverty the main problem

The panelists stressed that poverty is the underlying reason why not all Filipinos have access to modern family planning methods, and so the next administration should work harder to reduce poverty in the country.

“Poverty must be addressed and much of the poverty are in rural areas in 15 regions outside of Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and CALABARZON. That’s where much of the poverty is. We must address that,” Perez said.

“We must support the sectors that can support poverty. It may be agriculture, fishery, maybe even spreading out development from Luzon to the rest of the country. I guess there must be a bias for that kind of rural development without forgetting the need for urban infrastructure... The imbalance must be addressed,” he also said. — BM, GMA News