THE REGIONAL OFFICE III THE REGIONAL OFFICE III The Regional Population Office (RPO) III was established in 1973 in San Fernando, Pampanga in response to the population problems in Central Luzon. In 1975-1977, the Commission introduced the Total Integrated Development Approach (TIDA) to broaden program coverage. The Family Planning Program was then integrated with other development activities such as the National Population and Family Planning Outreach Projects to bring the necessary services closer to the people to remote barangays and simultaneous organized the population offices in the six (6) provinces and four (4) cities. POPCOM Region III become the central planning and coordinating body for all the population related activities.
It
also
involved
in
the
integration
of
family
planning
program
through
Information/Education/Communication (IEC); provide training of personnel in the medical and paramedical profession, fieldworkers and managers and research; clinic/delivery services – distribution of clinic/contraceptive supplies. In 1973 to 1984 the Regional Population Office III rented & occupied the third floor of the Gopez Building at V. Tiomico St., San Fernando, Pampanga. In 1985 POPCOM 3 moved to its new building located at Diosdado Macapagal Regional Government Center, Maimpis, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. To date, POPCOM III is embarking on a massive coordination with both government and non-government agencies and local government units through the provincial/city and municipal population offices in the implementation of projects and activities on the Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP) in Central Luzon.
PPLL MODULES The POPDEV Planning at the Local Level (PPLL) Project was conceived in response to the clamor for assistance in building the capability of local planners in development planning. This clamor was brought about primarily by the implementation of the 1991 Local Government Code that mandates Local Government Units (LGUs) to come up with a comprehensive local development plan. The PPLL Project has three components, namely: institutional support, training, and research/research utilization. It is a three-pronged strategy that has been tested and found effective for over 15 years under two other POPDEV projects of NEDA -the Population and Development Planning and Research (PDPR) Projects (1980-1989) and the Integrated Population and Development Planning (IPDP) Project.
The main activity of the training component of the project is the development and conduct of training program that will develop local planners' skills in development planning through the use of the POPDEV planning approach. The training program, therefore, aims to enhance the understanding and capability of local planners in selected pilot LGUs in using the POPDEV planning approach to develop or improve their socioeconomic profile (SEP), situational analysis (SA), local development plan (LDP) and local investment plan (LIP). The PPLL Training program takes a modular approach interspersed with a practicum to enable the local planners to work on their plan on-the-job. The program consists of four modules: Module I : Basic Concepts of the POPDEV Planning Approach to Development Planning
Module I familiarizes the trainees with the POPDEV planning approach, its concept, tools, processes and potential gains. Module II : Improving Situational Analysis and the Local Socioeconomic Profile
Module II assists trainees in systematically analyzing their locality's situation based on correct and relevant data and indicators derived from the SEP. Thus, Module II also helps trainees to develop a good SEP since this is one of the most important bases of a good SA. Module III : Improving the Formulation of a Local Development Plan Using the POPDEV Planning Approach After Module II, the trainees are given time (usually two months) to develop or improve their respective SEPs and SA at their workplace. These outputs are then brought as inputs to Module III which discusses the various components of a local development plan and shows trainees how to use the POPDEV planning approach in developing a good LDP. Module IV : Improving the Formulation of a Local Investment Program Using the PODPEV Planning Approach After Module III, the trainees again back to work to improve their LDP and to gather additional information needed in Module IV. Module IV helps the trainess to develop a good investment program based on their LDP. The module discusses ways of screening, assessing and prioritizing programs and projects to be included in the LIP, as well as ways of identifying and mobilizing financial resources, both internal and external. Module IV is followed by another practicum, after which the trainees are again gathered together to refine and make consistent their three outputs - SA, LDP and LIP. These outputs are then presented to their local officials at the same gathering.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S CORNER
JUAN ANTONIO A. PEREZ III, MD, MPH POPCOM supports President Duterte’s strong political will for RH President Rodrigo Duterte pronounced strong political will to fully implement the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law as a component of the national socio-economic agenda during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA). In relation to this, he integrated the urgent attainment of zero unmet need for modern family planning as a legacy of the Philippine Health Agenda.
HISTORY 1967 Seventeen heads of state including the Philippine President signed the United Nations Declaration on Population which stressed: The Population problem must be recognized as a principal element in long-range planning, if governments are to achieve their economic goals and fulfill the aspirations of their people. 1970 The Philippine Population Program was officially launched through the Executive Order No. 233. The Commission on Population (POPCOM) was mandated to serve as the central coordinating and policy making body of the government in the field of population. 1971
Republic Act 6365, known as the Population Act of the Philippines was enacted into law by Congress. 1972 Presidential Decree 79 was signed directing public and private sectors to undertake a National Family Planning Program which respects the religious beliefs and values of individuals. 1975 Presidential Decree 166 further strengthened the Program. It required the participation of private organizations and individuals in the formulation and implementation of population programs and policies. 1986 Executive Order No. 123 attached POPCOM to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as the planning and coordinating agency. 1987 Policy statement under the Aquino Administration was issued by the POPCOM Board which states: "the ultimate goal of the Population Program is the improvement of the quality of human life in a just and humane society... The achievement of this goal requires a recognition of the close interrelationships among population, resources and environmental factors." 1990 Executive Order No. 408, was issued placing POPCOM under the Office of the President in order to "facilitate coordination of policies and programs relative to population." 1991 Executive Order No. 476 was issued making POPCOM an attached agency of the National Economic and Development Authority. 1993 Adoption of the Philippine Population Management Program and the Population, Resources and Environment Framework by the Ramos Administration. 1999
The Estrada Administration reformulated the Philippine Population Management Program with Responsible Parenthood as its lynchpin. 2003 On March 24, 2003, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order No. 188 attaching POPCOM to the Department of Health. 2005 In a Statement of Support, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo joined "the community of nations in expressing support for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)."? The statement also reiterated the principles that guide the Philippine government in the implementation of population program. These principles are based on the four (4) pillars of Responsible Parenthood, Respect for Life, Birth Spacing, and Informed Choice. Health services, including Reproductive Health services, are devolved by the Local Government Code to the local government units. Local Government Units have the responsibility of providing couples and individuals with information and services to enable them to exercise Responsible Parenthood. 2006 On October 10, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued guidelines and directive for the DOH, POPCOM, and local government units to take full charge of the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning Program. The Responsible Parenthood and Natural Family Planning Program 's primary policy objective is to promote natural family planning, birth spacing (three years birth spacing) and breastfeeding which are good for the health of the mother, child, family, and community. While LGUs can promote artificial family planning because of local autonomy, the national government advocates natural family planning.
POPCOM LOGO
The Commission on Population (POPCOM) logo is a symbolic form of all types of people. The adjoined loops connote interrelationship or togetherness, whether in connection with a family or with individuals in a community Completing the logo is a circle enveloping the symbolic family or community, signifying that the family and the individual in the community are the main focus of all POPCOM's efforts.
CREED POPCOM CREED We value excellence through our performance and professionalism. We will make POPCOM a world class center of excellence. We will be pro-active and creative in programs and policy development, and in resolving issues and problems, and serve as exemplary models for the organization. Integrity will be POPCOM's cornerstone. We will exercise transparency in all our dealings, and will abide by the government code of ethics and standards, treat each employee with dignity and importance, and demonstrate trust and respect for the other's integrity. Discipline will be the hallmark for our work ethics. We will demonstrate self discipline by being punctual and prompt, in attendance and work assignments by complying with office rules and regulations, especially on proper attire and office decorum, and by protecting office resources and ensuring its optimum
use. We will strive for team excellence to be propelled by our strong sense of urgency and total commitment to reach new heights and achieve breakthroughs. We believe that an energized and empowered high performance team is pivotal to the culture of excellence. We will be a team player by being sensitive to other person's feeling and concerns, accepting and seeking feedback and adopting participative and consultative processes. Together, we will continue to grow and excel, as individual and as a team. Together, we will make a difference.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
The Commission on Population (POPCOM) is governed by a Board of Commissioners composed of fourteen (14) members: eleven (11) from government and three (3) members representing the private sector. These are as follows:
Chairperson: Secretary of Department of Health
Members:
The Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority Secretary of Department of Interior & Local Government Secretary of Department of Labor & Employment
(NEDA) (DILG) (DOLE)
Secretary of Department of Agriculture Secretary of Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary of Department of Education Secretary of Department of Trade and Industry Secretary of Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary of Department of Public Works and Highways Director of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI)
(DA) (DAR) (DepED) (DTI) (DSWD) (DPWH)
Three Private Sector Representatives are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure, of the President of the Philippines. The POPCOM Board is tasked to set policies and directions for the country's population management program.
POPCOM Secretariat The POPCOM Secretariat is headed by an Executive Director III. He is supported by a Deputy Executive Director, five (5) Division Chiefs, and 15 Regional Directors.
The Central Office At the central office, national coordination, policy formulation, planning, advocacy and monitoring and evaluation of the population program are done by the Office of the Executive Director, and the following divisions: A. 1. 2. 3. B. 1. 2.
Policy Planning, Information
Analysis Monitoring Management Support Administrative
Financial
and
Technical and and and
Development Division Evaluation Division Communications Division Services Division (ASD), Management
Division
Divisions (PADD) (PMED) (IMCD) Divisions and (FMD)
Internal Audit Unit is an independent body that audit the internal operations of the Agency and directly reporting to the Board of Commissioners. The POPCOM Central Office is located at Welfareville Compound, Mandaluyong City.
Regional Operations
For regional operations, 15 regional population offices were established which include the following: RPO I (Ilocos Region) San Fernando, La Union RPOII (Cagayan Valley) Tuguegarao City, Cagayan RPO III (Central Luzon) San Fernando City, Pampanga RPO IV ( Southern Tagalog) Welfareville Compound, Mandaluyong City RPO V (Bicol Region Legaspi City RPO VI ( Western Visayas) Pavia, Iloilo RPO VII (Central Visayas) Banilad, Cebu City RPO VIII (Eastern Visayas) Palo, Leyte RPO IX (Western Mindanao) Zamboanga City RPO X (Northern Mindanao) Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City RPO XI (Southern Mindanao) Bajada, Davao City RPO XII (Central Mindanao) ARMM Complex, Cotabato City Caraga Region Butuan City Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Baguio City National Capital Region - Welfareville Compound, Mandaluyong City
AHD MODULES Adolescent Health and Development
Adolescent Health and Youth Development is a concern, which does not need justification. The youth is the future. They are the hope of the nation. Today, there are more young people than ever. Neglect of adolescents can lead to problems both immediately and in the years ahead. Indeed, the quality of our youth today will shape the quality of our nation tomorrow. The world today offers adolescents both remarkable opportunities and serious risks to their health. More than ever before, adolescents are able to attend school and benefit from technological progress. Yet, adolescents of today are also more exposed to a growing number of diverse threats , than any other generation has been. Earlier puberty and diminishing influence of family and traditional institutions, are exacerbating the risks of early sexual involvement. Potentially harmful substances - alcohol and other drugs are now more readily available to adolescents and threaten their health, both in the short and long term. Violence inflicted by the young and on the young is a growing phenomenon. Sexually Transmitted
Infections (STI) is also on the increase among the young. Many more have become victims of trafficking, hazardous environments, exploitation and sexual violence. Parents, caregivers and youth development workers are faced with the daunting challenge of helping adolescents anticipate and cope with the myriad changes happening to them. They also have to prepare them to confront the threats and risks that they encounter in their passage to adulthood. Adolescents need to develop competencies for adaptive and positive behavior, so as to be able to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of this transition stage. They also need to acquire skills which will help them to chart their course and navigate their passage in this diverse and changing world. Adolescence is a gateway to the promotion of healthy lifestyles and positive personal attributes. Many of the attitudes and behavioral patterns acquired during adolescence (such as gender relations, sexual conduct, the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, life habits and dealing with stress, pressure and conflicts ) will last a lifetime. The Sexually Healthy and Personally Effective (SHAPE) training package is POPCOM's contribution to national efforts to create an environment that will enable all young people to maximize their potential. It is a part of a campaign to reach young hearts and minds and help them develop capabilities to manage their future and become responsible citizens of tomorrow. It is a vehicle for woking with families, communities and schools, in providing appropriate information and assistance needed by adolescents for developing positive and responsible lifestyle choices and behavious. Admittedly, no institution can single-handedly promote adolescent health and youth development concerns. Thus, there is a need for synergy and collaboration among GO's, NGO's and LGUs. The SHAPE training package is a vital tool as we move towards our shared goal of ensuring that adolescents are able to acquire the information, build the skills, obtain the services, and live in a safe and supportive environment that they need for their health and development. You are most welcome to make full use of this training modules.
Adolescent Reproductive Health
Adolescence: A Time For Answers Preview
The central task of adolescence is to find a workable answer to the question which has pre-occupied humankind for many centuries and has been the subject of innumerable poems, novel and autobiographies: "Who am I?". The search for a sense of identity is most pronounced and obvious during adolescence. During adolescent years, the young person is confronted with a host of physical , physiological,
psychological, sexual and knowledge changes as well as new and varied social, cognitive and intellectual demands. Adolescents may at times feel like spectators observing their changing selves or as one adolescent put it:
"Standing in front of the mirror I'm wondering what that person is all about. Odette de la Cruz, age 16." This module is a labor of love for our own and all Filipino adolescents seeking answer to the age-old question of "Who am I?". It is a love-filled walking through with them as they anxiously try to integrate the rapid changes of body and mind into a gradually emerging sense of identity, uniquely his/her own. The walk through begins with the presentation of the inevitability of change, both physically and personally and the accompanying fears, worries and difficulties spawned by misinformation and difficulties in adapting quickly to occuring changes. The adolescent is expected to feel good about his / her body and proud of him/herself after this phase. The next stage of the walk through would bring in the drama of physical; and psychological changes associated with sexual maturation. Going through this would enable the traveling teen and his/her companion to explore human sexuality, gender and sexual orientation as he/she slowly realizes that man is "also a sexual being". Finding one's identity is facilitated in one's relationship with others, which boy-girl relationship. The teen and his/her chaperone is initiated to the thrills of first love and first date, without covering the faces and pitfalls of love and sounding the warning for datings. Yes, young man/lady, there is love without sex. Adolescents are not exempt from problems and the last stage of the walk through is on how to get through threats and stress confronting teens. Surviving this stage would make them better equipped to face the world, as persons who knows who and they are for.
Philippine Population Management Program To implement these strategies, what are the important activities of the PPMP at present? Name of Office: POPCOM 1. Pre-Marriage Counseling’s a half day orientation program for couples applying for marriage license. It is designed to provide pre-marriage couples with a realistic view of what marriage is all about. 2. Presently, the centerpiece of the RP-FP Program is the Responsible Parenting Movement (RPM). The Responsible Parenting Movement is a program to
organize and activate a group of parents who would want to take on responsible parenting as a way of life. This idea is brought down to where it really matters – the more than 42,000 barangays nationwide. These groups of parents are organized through an 8-hour seminar (called “classes”) at the community level. They are called as such because the participants who are parents will undergo an orientation on concepts and values of responsible parenting and how to achieve them. These groups of parents are the critical mass that will evolve into a movement. The RPM is now on its Phase II. The aim of the Responsible Parenting Movement Phase II is to socially and economically empower the couple for them to carry out their plans and aspirations for their families. The RPM Phase II is piloted in the Municipality of Tanay, Rizal in Region IV and in Marikina City in the National Capital Region (NCR). 3. On the Adolescent Health and Development component, the LEARNING PACKAGE FOR PARENT EDUCATION ON ADOLESCENT HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT (LPPED) was developed to equip parents with the necessary knowledge on adolescent sexual and reproductive health concerns as well as skills on how to communicate these concerns to their adolescent children. The LPPED complements the training package for the youth and adolescent which is called “Sexually Healthy and Personally Effective Adolescent” or SHAPE. 4. On the Population and Development (POPDEV) Integration Program, the “Sourcebook on Designing and Implementing PHE Integrative Initiatives” was developed to highlight the population, health, and environmental (PHE) concerns which are among the crucial development issues that have to be addressed as we are now beginning to feel the interlink of these three concerns and their impact on our lives. 5. On Gender and Development, the MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN mandates all government offices, including government-owned and controlled corporations and local government units to adopt GENDER MAINSTREAMING as a strategy for implementing the law and attaining its objectives. In this area, the PPMP is adopting the Men’s Responsibility on Gender and Development or MR GAD, which emphasizes the participation of males in the Gender and Development issues. This is necessary because the male is the other half of the couple and without the participation of both partners, GAD issues cannot be easily resolved.
What are the constitutional bases of the Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning Program? Name of Office: POPCOM The Responsible Parenthood Program is firmly anchored in the 1987 Constitution, especially in Article XV, Section 3.1 and Article II, Section 12. Article XV, Section 3.1 says that “The State shall defend the right of the spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions and the demands of responsible parenthood.” Article II, Section 12 also says that “The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and development of moral character shall receive the support of the Government.”
What are the demographic targets of the PPMP for the period 2011-2015? Name of Office: POPCOM As its contribution to the social and economic growth of the country, the population program aims to lower the population growth rate (PGR) from the present 2.04 (2007 Census) to 1.48 by 2015 and the total fertility rate (TFR) from 3.3 (2008 NDHS) to 2.4 by 2015. This TFR is based on the desired number of children as expressed by Filipino women based on the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey. These objectives can be attained if the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) will increase from 50.7% in 2008 to 63% in 2015. These targets, if achieved, will open a window of opportunity or a “breathing space,” which the country can exploit to recover and regain its balance to attain its development goals.
What are the objectives of the PPMP? Name of Office: POPCOM The objectives of the PPMP are:
Help couples/parents exercise responsible parenting to achieve the desired number, timing, and spacing of children and to contribute in improving maternal, neonatal and child health, and nutrition (MNCHN) status; Help adolescents and youth avoid pre-marital sex, teenage pregnancies, early marriages, sexuality transmitted infections and other psycho-social concerns; and Contribute to policies, plans and programs that will assist government to attain population growth and distribution consistent with economic activities and sustainable development.
What are the policy principles of the Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP)? Name of Office: POPCOM 1. The central idea of the program is responsible parenthood. It is oriented towards the overall improvement of family well-being; it is not concerned with just fertility reduction. It views family welfare, including that of the individual welfare, as the central objective of the national development program. Thus, the program promotes family development and responsible parenting. It believes that parenting and raising a family is a shared responsibility of the husband and the wife. 2. The program is non-coercive. It respects the rights of couples to determine the size of their family and choose voluntarily the means to do so in accordance with their moral convictions and religious beliefs, and cultural mores and norms. It believes in informed choice.
3. The program rejects abortion as a means to control fertility. Abortion is illegal and the program will never consider it as a family planning method. 4. The program promotes self-reliance and multi-sectoral participation. It gives priority to projects that are self-sustaining and with community participation. It encourages coordinative and participative approaches through the participation of Local Government Units and Non-Government Organizations and other critical stakeholders. 5. The program adheres to gender equality and equity which is non-discriminatory in all political, social, and economic development concerns.
What are the present strategies of the PPMP? Name of Office: POPCOM To attain its objectives, the following are the strategies of the Program:
Work for universal access (accessibility, availability, and affordability) of all medically, ethically, and legally approved family planning methods and services to help couples/parents plan their families; Promotion of male participation/involvement in Responsible Parenting and Family Planning (RP-FP) within the context of gender equality and equity; Continue to utilize community organization and participatory strategies (Responsible Parenting Movement, community-based volunteers) to sustain/broaden acceptance of responsible parenting as a social norm; Provide age-appropriate and values-laden human sexuality education for the youth thru the formal and non-formal educational systems and equip/educate parents with appropriate skills and information on adolescent health and human sexuality concerns; Intensify/sustain communication, education, and advocacy campaign for population management and RP/FP programs by broadening alliances and strengthening networks with Program stakeholders; LGUs, NGOs, business community, academe, media and faith-based organizations, among others; Conduct scientific population and related researches/studies and strengthen data & information management for policy, plan, and program development; and • Advocate for increased investment on the population management program by the national government and LGUs through legislative agenda and budgetary support.
What is meant by Family Planning? Name of Office: POPCOM POPCOM defines Family Planning as a program that enables parents to deliberately and responsibly decide the number and spacing of their children, by avoiding for the time being, or even for an indefinite period, a birth. It is not a prognosis imposed on the parents but an expression of responsible parenting based on informed choices and decisions of couples to achieve their desired family size based on their social and economic capacity.
What is meant by Responsible Parenthood? Name of Office: POPCOM Responsible Parenthood, as defined in the Directional Plan of POPCOM, is the will and ability of parents to respond to the needs and aspirations of the family and children. It is a shared responsibility of the husband and the wife to determine and achieve the desired number, spacing, and timing of their children according to their own family life aspirations, taking into account psychological preparedness, health status, socio-cultural, and economic concerns.
What is the legal basis of the Philippine Population Program? Name of Office: POPCOM The legal basis of the Philippine Population Program is Republic Act 6365, otherwise known as the “Population Act of 1971.” It created the Commission on Population (POPCOM). It was amended in 1972 by Presidential Decree No. 79.
As mentioned in PD 79, the tandem of Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning is the basic program of the Philippine Population Program (PPP). The PPP was later renamed the Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP).
Why do we need a population program? Name of Office: POPCOM Population must be recognized as a principal element in long-range planning, it the government is to achieve its economic goals and fulfill the aspirations of its people.
Census of Population 2015 Census of Population Reference No.: 2015-061 Release Date: July 31, 2015
August is National Census Month ...OP calls for support and cooperation for POPCEN 2015. The nationwide conduct of the 2015 Census of Population (POPCEN 2015) begins in ten (10) days. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), pursuant to Republic Act No. 10625 (Philippine Statistical Act of 2013), is the lead agency tasked to take an inventory of the population of the entire Philippines. About 90 thousand trained census-takers (enumerators), 23 thousand team supervisors, and five thousand census area supervisors will augment the PSA personnel in the gigantic task of taking a complete count of all persons throughout the country, either as members of a household or as residents of an institutional living quarter. Earlier, President Benigno S. Aquino III issued Proclamation No. 1031 calling on the citizenry “to support and cooperate in the POPCEN 2015 by providing complete and correct information to census enumerators.” The said proclamation also enjoins “all departments, other government agencies,
including government-owned or -controlled corporations, as well as local government units (LGUs) to implement and execute the operational plans, directives and orders of the PSA Board through the PSA” relative to the census-taking. The first official census in the Philippines was carried out in 1878 by the colonial Spanish government. The said census yielded a count of 5,567,685 persons living in the archipelago as of December 31, 1877. In the last census of this kind conducted in the country in May 2010, the country’s population was placed at 92.34 million. Updated information on the size of the population will provide government planners, policy makers and administrators with data on which to base their social and economic development plans and program. Specifically, in government, it serves as basis for: 1) redistricting and apportionment of congressional seats; 2) allocation of resources and revenues, such as the Internal Revenue Allotment for LGUs; 3) creation/conversion of political and administrative units, such as provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays; 4) formulation of policies concerning various segments of the population; and 5) development of policies and programs relative to the delivery of basic social services. Businesses and industries use the statistical information from the census in the identification of sites for establishing businesses and determining consumer demands and supply of labor for the production of various goods and services.
For the National Statistician
The Beginnings n early 1955, Dr. Philip M. Hauser, founder of the University of Chicago’s Population Research Center, one of the world’s leading centers for the study of demography, visited the Philippines upon the invitation of Dr. Meredith B. Givens, Principal Statistical Advisor, University of the Philippines Statistical Training Centre (UPSTC). He addressed the members of the Philippine Statistical Association at one of its monthly meetings. I was then a Research Assistant, the first Filipino to have been appointed to the UPSTC’s research staff upon my arrival from training in Biostatistics in Australia on a Colombo Plan fellowship. A few months later I met Dr. Hauser again, this time at the Seminar on Population Problems of Asia and the Far East organized by the United
Nations (UN) in Bandung, Indonesia in November 1955. Historically, it was the first seminar on the subject of population organized by the UN. The seminar was the first to focus attention on increasing population trends within the region covered by the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE), now Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The seminar participants realized that the rising population growth rates largely negated or probably even retarded the effects of national socio-economic programs that provided an environment conducive to lowering birth rates. An important outcome of the seminar was a recommendation that the UN take the initiative in setting up a regional demographic training and research centre in the ECAFE region. Consequently, the Demographic Training and Research Centre (DTRC) was established in 1956 at Chembur, Bombay, India. The Centre was jointly operated by UN and the Government of India. Its first Diector was Dr. C. Chandrasekaran. In November 1962, the Ford Foundation sent out a population survey mission to East and Southeast Asia composed of Dr. Hauser, Dr. Dudley Kirk and Dr. Oscar Harkavy of the Economic Affairs Program of the Ford Foundation. The mission visited the Philippines to look into the feasibility of establishing a demographic center or a population institute at UP. Dr. Virata, then Acting Director of the UPSTC, was very receptive to the idea, provided that the University be given time to train a number of people for the work to be undertaken and provided further that it receive sufficient financial support both from the Philippine government and from outside sources such as UN and private foundations. He promised the mission members that during the ensuing year he would try to assess how long it would take the University to carry out the preparatory steps in order that a population institute be established in the Manila campus or in Diliman. Dr. Virata’s optimism in UP’s ability to establish a population institute, provided sufficient financial support was available, was due to the fact that the country as a whole was better prepared to organize the institute as far as trained personnel was concerned than in 1953 when UP agreed with UN to establish a Statistical Training Centre with UN financial support. In 1962, there were about six persons who had had formal training in demography, one of them at the Ph.D. level, and the others with demographic training either in the United States or at the Bombay DTRC. No such similarly trained people in statistics were available when UPSTC started operations in June 1954. Dr. Virata also informed the Ford mission members that assistance would be needed during the preparatory period in the form of research grants and funds for graduate fellowships. On 15 May 1963, Acting UP President Virata, in Memorandum No. 368, established a committee in demography in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences composed of representatives from each of the following disciplines: sociology, demography, economics, geography and social psychology. Membership in this committee was for two years, renewable for a similar term upon recommendation of the Dean of the Graduate School and upon approval of the University President. The committee was to recommend matters pertaining to faculty development, research, fellowships and scholarships. Following a series of meetings, the committee formulated and recommended the adoption of the requirements for an M.A. (Demography) program. Such a program was approved by the University Council at its 221 st meeting held in September 1963. There was reason to believe that such a program would attract students, gain the cooperation of official agencies and attract appreciable public interest and support. The committee was to function until the time when the Population Institute will have developed its full complement of staff. Dr. Virata suggested to then UP President Carlos P. Romulo that the Population Council or the Ford Foundation be requested to send a short-term consultant at the end of 1963 or early 1964 principally to assist UP in drafting an agreement that would be presented to the Government and the Foundations for final approval. Dr. Virata suggested that Dr. Hauser be tapped for this assignment
since the latter had indicated a desire and a willingness to participate in formulating the plans for the institute.
The Establishment of the Population Institute The establishment of the Population Institute as a unit of UP was approved by the Board of Regents on 20 November 1964 with the following objectives: (1) provide at least nine graduates with demographic training, during the first three years of its operation; (2) produce a comprehensive analysis of characteristics and trends of the Philippine population; and (3) initiate a program of research on matters significant for planning and program purposes. The Institute, with initial four-year support from the Ford Foundation, operated as a regular unit of the University through its director in consultation with an executive committee on general policy matters and an advisory committee in demography on academic matters. After the first four years of funding the Institute’s faculty development, scholarship program and library, the Ford Foundation extended its financial support for no more than four years, on a matching-grant basis. The Population Institute was headed by a director responsible for the administration of the training program and the direction of the Institute’s research program. As the Institute developed there was provision for an associate director to serve as a deputy to the director and as acting director in the director’s absence. The Institute’s professional personnel, appointed by the director, consisted of research associates and teaching faculty, both of whom undertook research and teaching functions as may be required. Research associates had to have an M.A., preferably in demography or in a related discipline. Senior research associates had to have Ph.D. degrees in demography or in a related discipline. Research assistants were appointed as needed and consisted in the main of graduates majoring in demography or in related disciplines. All members of the Institute professional personnel and staff performed their Institute functions as assigned and directed by the Institute director.
Training Program The Population Institute is responsible, in cooperation with appropriate departments of UP, for administering a training program in population studies leading to the M.A. degree in demography. The program is inter-disciplinary and assures the production of demographic personnel with backgrounds in such relevant fields as economics, sociology, social psychology, geography, anthropology, statistics and other areas as may be desirable. The program, in addition to turning out persons with demographic training equipped to contribute to demographic work in government and other agencies, would serve as a basis for discovering exceptionally qualified students who merit further training, including Ph.D. training, at universities
abroad. In addition to the academic program, the Population Institute also administered an in-service training program, the purpose of which was to provide government personnel with specific types of demographic skills.
Research Program A major obligation of UPPI was to develop, design, and administer research programs in demography to assist government in planning, economic, educational, and other activities in respect to which policy and program must necessarily deal with population size, distribution, composition, and components of population change. UPPI was to serve as the focal point for the analysis of demographic information and the dissemination of knowledge in this field to the government and to the Filipino people. Moreover, the Institute was to be the major unit for academic research in demography at UP. It was to assist the country’s other educational and research institutions in the development and conduct of demographic programs; and in the design and conduct of evaluative research on any population action-programs undertaken by government or other suitable agencies.
Consultative and Advisory Services There was increasing awareness within the country of the importance of considering population factors in relation to government, economic and social policy and program. However, the scarcity of demographic personnel had made it difficult for government agencies and others to obtain demographic consultative and advisory services. UPPI was to provide such services as desired. At the same time, the Institute would take steps to secure the collaboration and assistance of other agencies contributing significantly to the population field. In particular, it would make full use of the many resources available at UP. For example, the Statistical Training Centre would provide consultative services on sampling and evaluation of survey results. The Institute of Economic Development and Research would provide advice on the interrelationship between population and economic development. Similarly, the Institute of Hygiene and the College of Agriculture would contribute through their studies of communities. The Institute of Asian Studies and the Community Development Research Council were two other units whose specialized studies would be utilized in the overall research scheme. It was necessary to keep in close contact with national government agencies interested in population studies. These agencies included the National Economic Council (now the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Program Implementation Agency (now the Presidential Management Staff), the National Science Development Board (now the Department of Science and Technology or DOST), the Disease Intelligence Center of the Department of Health and the Bureau of the Census and Statistics (now National Statistics Office or NSO).
Physical Plant Owing to lack of financial resources, the plan for a separate building for the Population Institute as part of the Public Affairs Complex never materialized. In 1985, the UP administration required all graduate units to be located in the Diliman campus to make way for the transfer of the College of Pharmacy to the Manila campus. Hence, the Population Institute was provided permanent space at Palma Hall in Diliman and allotted part of the space occupied by the College of Pharmacy.
The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. Since UNFPA started working in the Philippines, the agency has promoted the right of Filipinos to access reproductive health information and services, including family planning and prevention of gender-based violence, to enable them to make informed and voluntary choices and decisions. Under the current country programme (2012-2018), UNFPA has reached 7.5 million young Filipinos with correct information on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. The agency also reached 1.4 million Filipinos with family planning sessions in the workplace and in their communities through its Business Action for Family Planning Access (BAFP) project.
How we work Guided by the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNFPA supports national and local partners in their efforts to reduce maternal deaths by achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health, including family planning. Through policy engagement and catalytic technical support, UNFPA strengthens capacities of government to implement the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law and the Magna Carta of Women, specifically the provisions on:
Reproductive rights and violence against women;
Integration of the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) on sexual and reproductive health in humanitarian response; and
Incorporation of population dimension into migration, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation plans. UNFPA gives special attention to removing barriers that prevent indigenous peoples, urban poor, and women and girls with disabilities from accessing critical reproductive health services. UNFPA works with the government and other partners to create a policy environment that will allow the Philippines to fully benefit from the demographic dividend and boost economic productivity of the large number of Filipino youth. Related to this, UNFPA supports the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education, both in schools and through community-based training and outreach. UNFPA partners with young people, helping them participate in decisions affecting them, and strengthening their ability to advance human rights and development issues. During emergencies, UNFPA supports government in protecting the reproductive health of crisisaffected population, including prevention and management of gender-based violence.
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Good sexual and reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. It implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce, and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to do so. In the Philippines, there are 9.7 million girls aged 10 to 19, and by age 19, 1 in 5 girls are - or will soon be mothers. Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are one of the leading causes of death for adolescent girls, and unintended pregnancy also brings other serious health risks as well as limiting girls’ ability to fulfill their potential by forcing them to leave school or forfeit good job opportunities. This also leaves them more vulnerable to falling into poverty and exclusion. Recent estimates indicate that around P33 billion is lost each year through teenage pregnancy. That’s almost 1% of the Philippines’ GDP (2012). And adolescent pregnancies are on the rise. In 1993, 6.5 per cent of adolescent women aged 15-19 have begun childbearing. By 2013, the percentage had reached 10.1. UNFPA works with the government, civil society organizations and youth networks to address the challenges faced by young people, particularly adolescent girls, by supporting efforts to provide youth-appropriate sexual and reproductive health services and information available to everyone, and by helping develop a sound policy and legal framework to boost sexual and reproductive health and rights. Comprehensive Sexuality Education, available for all young people, is key to ensuring sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. UNFPA works with the Department of Education and the U4U initiative – an interactive panel through the Commission on Population and other partners. To date, UNFPA has reached 7.5 million young Filipinos with correct information on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. UNFPA also supports evidenced-based studies as bases of policies and plans of the government and other stakeholders.
Maternal Health
More than 11 mothers still die every day of preventable causes, related to child birth and abortion in the Philippines; and for every woman who dies, 20 more suffer complications with serious or long-lasting consequences. UNFPA Philippines works with the government and civil society organizations to make pregnancy and childbirth safer. The package of assistance covers areas of upstream policy support for maternal and reproductive health, capacity building for health service providers, support to the establishment of the service delivery network for maternal and child health, and improving local governance for maternal health.
HIV & AIDS
The Philippines is one of only nine countries worldwide that registered more than 25 per cent increase in cases of HIV, according to a 2012 global study. A review of Millennium Development Goal 6, which seeks to halt the spread of HIV, revealed that the Philippines’ target of 80 per cent condom use was not achieved. Correct knowledge on HIV among 15-24 years old was also below the 80 per cent target and the identified cases of HIV are getting younger. UNFPA Philippines supports the promotion of the integration of sexual and reproductive health, HIV and gender-based violence in ensuring that women, girls, indigenous peoples, LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) and key populations have access to information and integrated services in the prevention of stigma and all forms of discrimination, as well as access to condoms.
Gender Based Violence
The Philippines ranks 7th and remains the highest-ranked country in Asia and the Pacific in terms of Gender Equality, according to the 2016 World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index. Yet despite its considerable progress towards achieving gender equality and having in place legislation to address women’s human rights and discrimination, there are still significant challenges, including tackling violence against women and children. In the Philippines, UNFPA supports national, regional government agencies, local government units and NGOs in preventing and responding to violence against women and children in both development and humanitarian settings.
Strengthening policies and actions on violence In 2015, UNFPA helped develop the capacities of 17 regional offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to address gender-based violence in emergencies as part of disaster preparedness efforts. This is fully in line with existing national laws such as the Magna Carta of Women, which provides for women having the “right to protection and security in times of disasters, calamities and other crisis situations especially in all phases of relief, recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts.” UNFPA works with DSWD and the National Association for Social Work Education, Inc. (NASWEI) to mainstream gender and integrate gender-based violence prevention and response and gender responsive case
management in the Bachelor of Science in Social Work curriculum. A total of 80 Social Work Educators and practitioners all over the country were trained on gender responsive case management to date.
Strengthening health sector responses to violence A visit to a health service provider might be a woman or a child’s only chance to receive support, care and to escape a situation of abuse and violence. UNFPA supports the Department of Health (DOH) and Child Protection Network Foundation in establishing Women and Children Protection Units in DOH-retained and local government-supported hospitals. We also supported the Multi-Disciplinary Team Training that capacitated 333 service providers, including doctors, social workers and police officers on managing violence against women and children cases at the local level. UNFPA also helped integrate gender-based violence into the Residency Programs of Obstetrics, Pediatrics, and Family Medicine, training 109 pediatricians to date on the new residency curriculum. In addition, the Office of the United States Foreign Disaster Assistance – U.S. Agency for International Development (OFDA-USAID) funded UNFPA Philippines’ project on strengthening government and civil society capacities on gender based violence prevention and response. Through the project, a total of 723 Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council members and inter-agency protection mechanism members were trained on the Comprehensive Intervention Against Gender-based Violence, 386 trained on gender-based violence prevention and response, and, 90 NGO members trained on psychosocial interventions.
Family Planning
Access to safe, voluntary family planning is a human right, and if women can plan the number of children they have and properly space their births, around half of preventable maternal deaths could be eradicated. Family planning is also central to gender equality and women’s empowerment and is a key factor in reducing poverty.
Unmet need for family planning
In the Philippines, while the total fertility rate has reduced significantly over the past decades, many poor Filipino couples remain unable to fulfill their reproductive rights. Serious gaps in family planning services remain with 17.5 per cent of women of reproductive age having an unmet need for family planning, while the use of modern contraceptives remains low at 23.5 per cent of all women of reproductive age.
Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law UNFPA Philippines provides focused support to the family planning program in the country by providing technical assistance in the implementation of the Reproductive Health Law. It supports government institutions in the development of strategic plans for family planning programs, including reproductive health commodity security and logistics management, linking demand generation and service delivery and engaging civil society groups as partners in the provision of family planning services. A total of 244,685 women have been reached with family planning services by UNFPA partners from 2012 to 30 June 2017.
Business Action for Family Planning Access (BAFP) The Business Action for Family Planning Access (BAFP) project works to encourage private sector engagement in family planning either in the workplace, community-based or as a core business. Launched in 2014, it is jointly co-funded by UNFPA, UN Foundation, MSD through its MSD for Mothers initiative, and Accenture Development Partnerships. Since 2015, the project has been able to reach almost 1.4 million individuals through family planning sessions in the workplace and in communities. In the next 18 months, the project aims to reach out to another 3 million individuals through the provision of family planning learning sessions, counselling and onsite service delivery for employees of the four current and nine new partner companies.
History of the BAFP Project The involvement of the private sector provides a venue for family planning integration and ensures that structures and systems to sustain access to quality information, counselling including commodities are in place. To realize this vision, project implementers reached out to companies globally and piloted the project in the Philippines. At the country-level, UNFPA Philippines partnered with the Employer’s Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) to support BAFP partner companies like Avon-Philippines, Bagosphere, CARD-MFI, and Hamlin Industrial Corporation to develop four modalities of engagement of private sector companies on family planning (FP) participation. These modalities are: 1 FP installation in the workplace; 2. FP as Corporate Social Responsibility; 3. FP as a core-business and 4; FP as CSR and FP installation mix. These modalities ensure the sustainability of the project within their economic environment and consequently enable more women to practice healthy timing and spacing of their pregnancies and empower women to seek and keep better jobs. UNFPA supports these partner companies in building their capacity to provide their employees with accurate FP information and increase employees access to FP commodities through adoption of corporate policies on FP, development of Training the Trainers (TTT) Module and information materials for their employees and clients. BAFP has proven that there is significant demand and commitment from private sector organizations in the Philippines to offer family planning programs to their workers and communities. These commitments are
responsive to country needs and aligned to government priorities to foster a sustainable partnership between businesses and government and provide replicable models for other countries. Encouraging more companies to commit to this project means developing a strong value proposition, highlighting both the social impact as well as the economic returns for companies to invest in family planning. The private sector is an important actor in the Philippines as the sector can influence decision-making, advocate for policy change and set new benchmarks on how enterprises can responsibly engage on public health and other social issues.
Emergencies
The Philippines ranks third in the 2016 World Risk Index of most disaster-prone countries in the world. Every year, it experiences almost all forms of natural and human-induced calamities, such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, fires and armed conflict. From 1900 to 2012, the country was hit by 531 disasters, affecting more than 160 million people and causing USD10.5 billion worth of damage to the economy. In 2013 alone, 16 disasters struck the country, the most destructive of which was Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) which affected 26 million people and claimed at least 8,000 lives. During emergencies, reproductive health becomes even more significant. Global estimates indicate that around 4% of the population affected by an emergency are pregnant mothers, around 3.5% are lactating women and around 30% are young people. Around 15% of pregnancies may end up in complications while 5 to 15% will require a Caesarian section. Premature delivery among pregnant women may occur during times of displacement. Furthermore, the disruption of access to reproductive health care, information, and services deprives pregnant and lactating women and their newborns as well as young people of essential health care services. Chapter 10 of the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action which states that “all migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons should receive basic education and health services” puts emphasis on the right of people, including those living in humanitarian settings, to reproductive health.
Due to the susceptibility of the country to disasters, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act. No. 10121 also known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. The law mandated the creation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the institutionalization of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (NDRRMP). The government’s National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP) adopts the global humanitarian cluster approach which designates cluster leads for all the main sectors or areas of activity. Under the NDRP, there are currently eleven clusters: Food and Non-Food Items (FNI); Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM); Health; Education; Protection; Search, Rescue and Retrieval (SRR); Management of the Dead and Missing (MDM); Logistics; Emergency Telecommunications (ETC); Law and Order (LAO); and International Humanitarian Relations (IHR). Each of the clusters has a designated Government agency cluster lead and a UN agency or international humanitarian partner co-lead. The Department of Health (DOH) leads the Health Cluster with UNFPA as its Co-lead for the Reproductive Health Subcluster. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) leads the Protection Cluster with UNFPA as the Co-lead for the Gender-Based Violence Sub-cluster (GBVSC)