Meet Hiraya: PH's first-ever family planning floating clinic

More than two years after launching its family planning mobile clinic, non-profit organization DKT Philippines Foundation has introduced another initiative aimed at expanding access to family planning and reproductive health services in the Philippines.

At a media launch held at BangkaPro in Taguig City, DKT, through its Service Outreach and Distribution Extension (SODEX) Program, unveiled the Philippines' first-ever family planning floating clinic: a boat equipped with facilities in order to reach far-flung communities across Mindanao.

Named Hiraya, the floating clinic was launched in partnership with the Ministry of Health of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Beginning in September, Hiraya will serve communities in Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and Maguindanao del Sur.

The floating clinic will provide a range of free family planning services, including:

• Consultations and counseling
• Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and two-rod implants
• Temporary methods including pills, injectables, and condoms

Why BARMM?

According to Loida Almendares, director of programs at DKT Philippines Foundation, Inc., BARMM is among Hiraya's priority areas because of its unique geographic characteristics.

"We know for a fact that we have a lot of islands, coastal communities that we really need to reach, and we wanted to help BARMM improve our health outcomes," Almendares said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hardy Dumawing, the Department of Health's program manager for national family planning, said the highest unmet need for family planning is found in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), which include communities in BARMM.

"This [floating clinic] initiative helps bridge the gap and bring our services to the last mile," Dumawing said.

"Family planning is no longer a means to control the population. It's [now] a health intervention in reducing maternal mortality and the adolescent birth rate," he added.

With the help of the Philippine Coast Guard and partner local government units, Hiraya has identified 110 ports across Mindanao where Hiraya can dock and provide free health services.

In 2025, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) urged parents to openly discuss sexuality with their children amid rising cases of pregnancy among young girls.

CPD spokesperson Mylin Mirasol Quiray said there were more than 2,000 births among girls aged 10 to 14 in 2019. By 2023, the figure had increased to more than 3,300 births.

—MGP, GMA News