DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Davao Teen Center (DTC), together with the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP), demanded the local candidates of Davao City to include Reproductive Health (RH) policies as their top priority in their legislative agenda.
Jamail Lunar Macla, Youth Coordinator of DTC, pointed that this has been a long time struggle of young people in the city that the problem in reproductive health must be prioritized since there are no comprehensive local legislative order to arrest the said problem of the city.
“An absence of comprehensive local health ordinance in the city manifests the increase of numbers of unwanted pregnancies and alcoholism that resulted to abortion and early marriages among youth. In fact, this year, there are abrupt increases of case of abortion in the city and one particular scenario is that of employee of an industrial mall.” Macla said.
However, despite of the Non-Government Organization’s initiatives to augment solutions to the issue of reproductive health of the city, local legislative body are still deaf and blind in solving it that evidently shows that it is not their top priority to solve.
Dr. Roberto Alcantara, national president of Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP), alleged that they initiated lobbying effort to the councilors for the passage of Reproductive Health Bill to holistically solve the Reproductive Health issue in Davao City however until now, there are no local resolutions made to give way for inclusion to their legislative agenda.
“There are still no ordinance pass to the local council for the passage of Reproductive Health Ordinance.” Dr. Alcantara iterated.
“In fact, we already talk to one of the councilor of the city regarding the passage of a bill addressing the issue of reproductive health where all spheres of life will be attended like the emotional, psychosocial and physical aspect of the man, woman and youth’s reproductive health.” Dr. Alcantara added.
It is an achievement for the city to pass an ordinance to address the needs of children and women like the Children and Women’s Code of Davao City but still it does not address the holistic issues on Reproductive Health.
“We are very lucky that the city formulated an ordinance to arrest the issue of children and women however, a comprehensive ordinance to solve the reproductive health of Davao City is still lacking despite of an alarming increase of Adolescent and Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH).” Macla said.
That is why the voters must be critical and vigilant in choosing their own candidates for local elections who are advocating for reproductive health platforms and programs since they will be the one who will lead and assert in prioritizing RH services that will be laid and provided to the people.
“In this coming election, it is still the people who are decisive on who will be the candidate to lead them based on their critical thinking, trust and conscience with the guidance of framework of justice and social welfare and service for reproductive health.” Dr. Alcantara concluded.
“The election must be a manifestation of people’s democracy and freedom and it is also an expression of one’s responsibility to think twice if the candidates’ top priority is the inclusion of basic welfare and services on reproductive health in their legislative agenda.” Macla ended.
REFERENCE:
Jamail Lunar G. Macla
Youth Coordinator
Davao Teen Center
0918 4447267
(082) 300-7970
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2007 Elections
