GOVERNMENT CENTER,PALO,Leyte- The struggle for the full and unrestrained implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law of 2012 (RA 10354) has reached a crucial level today as the Department of Health contests the recent Supreme Court decision of August 24, 2016 by filing a motion for reconsideration before the highest court.
The SC decision, if uncontested, could put to a halt the most effective methods of the Family Planning program which is being implemented by the DOH and the Commission on Population (Popcom) through local government units and civil society nationwide and lead to increased mortality and morbidity among women and infants.
“If carried out, the SC decision could result in over 900 additional maternal deaths every year arising from almost 1 million unintended pregnancies that could have been addressed by the full implementation of the Family Planning Program,” POPCOM Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez III asserted.
“This would mean a 30% rise in maternal deaths in the country,” Perez said.
Although the RH Law was passed in 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations were approved in March 2013, there have been restraints through TROs on its implementation for 28 months in the last 3 and a half years.
President Rodrigo Duterte called for the full implementation of the law in his State of the Nation Address as late as last July.
The DOH’s National Implementation Team (NIT) for the RH Law headed by former Secretary Esperanza Cabral had recommended an Executive Order that would accelerate the implementation of the law through community-based, house to house campaigns to reach out to the 4 million women and men who wanted to avail of the program.
“Those who opposed the law in the legislative arena are now trying to reverse the judgment of history through backdoor judicial dilatory tactics, but the millions of Filipinos who stand to benefit from the law will surely bring all of this to an end. The inevitable deaths of hundreds of women and unborn infants will surely haunt those who want to undo an essential public health program,” Perez stated.
The Popcom has headed the Secretariat of the RH Law National Implementation Team (NIT) since January, 2015. In its annual reports, the NIT has noted the steady progress of the law’s implementation as the number of women and men using modern family planning methods have increased from 38% in 2013 to 43% in 2015.
However, the TRO on the popular progesterone subdermal implant (PSI) since June 2015 has hampered the further expansion of the family planning program.
The Supreme Court has also stopped the re-registration of current contraceptive methods approved by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) since June, 2015. This has led to the withdrawal from the market (and family planning program) of 14 out of 48 registered contraceptives in the country. New contraceptives are also effectively barred by the SC TRO.
“By the end of 2017, more than half of the contraceptives will lose their registration and Filipino consumers will be faced with more expensive products while the government will also be limited in the choice of methods to procure. This is certainly a far cry from the expectations of the people in 2012 when the law was approved by the people’s legislators,” Perez stressed.
The Commission on Population called on the Supreme Court to reverse its decision and lift the TRO and allow the unrestrained implementation of RA 10354. (PR)

As part of ‘Yolanda’ assistance

TACLOBAN CITY-Hundreds of dressmakers from this city coming from different barangays who all survived the onslaught of supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’ received sewing machines from Mayor Cristina Romualdez for their livelihood.
Some 103 dressmakers received their sewing machines from Mayor Romualdez during a simple turn-over ceremony for livelihood assistance held on Thursday(October 6) at Plaza Rizal.
In her message, Mayor Romualdez told the recipients to take good care of the machines awarded to them as a source of their daily income.
“Gamita hin maupay ini nga mga singer machines kay dako ini nga bulig ha iyo, swerte kamo kay upod pa dinhi electric machine to produce more output,” she said.
She likewise thanked the Department of Labor for always being around in assisting the city for the livelihood of Yolanda survivors.
The city government through it Public Employment Service Office (PESO) will be assisting the recipients to look for their clients.
One of the recipients, Elisa Isonan, 65, lost her four machines when Yolanda lambasted their home near the coastal waters of San Jose Alimasag.
“To me it’s a big grace and blessing to be chosen as one recipient of this facility. Now I can start my once loved dressmaking business,” she said.
Fifty-six years old Nenita Talisay of GMA Village, has shifted her venture from a sari-sari Store owner to dressmaking, where she availed the two-month CLEP training of the city government (a livelihood priority program of Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez).
With 10 children, the income of her small business was not enough for their daily needs.
“I’m too happy to have this sewing machine, salamat han mga sponsors”, she said.
The sewing machine livelihood assistance was made possible through the help of the DOLE’S Integrated Livelihood & Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP) in partnership with the city government thru the PESO. (GAY GASPAY, TIM CANES, TISAT/Kanhuraw Media Team)

TACLOBAN CITY- The National Housing Authority (NHA) here in the region has reported that 139 families were transferred to their permanent shelters, close to three years since they totally lost their houses due to supertyphoon ‘Yolanda.’
Dorcas Secreto, estate management specialist and community relations officer of the NHA, said that the 139 families who were living in their transitional houses were resettled to their permanent houses located in Villa Sofia and Villa Diana, two of the city’s resettlement sites for families whose houses were washed out due to Yolanda.
Last Monday (October 3), 68 families living at the transition houses were resettled to their permanent houses at Villa Sofia in Barangay Tagpuro.
Another 71 families were relocated last Friday (Oct.7) to their new homes in Villa Diana, located in Brgy. New Kawayan.
Councilor Aimee Grafil, who chairs the committee on urban poor and housing resettlement of the city council, said that the families need to be transferred considering the onset of rainy season.
“These families really wanted to transfer to their new permanent houses despite lack of electricity. Their units are already dilapidated,” Grafil said.
She added that the city government under Mayor Cristina Romualdez wants to see all families still living in temporary shelters be moved out to their permanent shelters at least by the end of the year.
The 135 families joined the 2,000 Yolanda survivors in these permanent houses at the northern barangays.
The transfer was spearheaded by the city government of Tacloban after several meetings and consultations with the members of the Sub Local Interagency Committee (Sub-LIAC) of which NHA is a member.
These families are from Suhi Badato TRS; New Kawayan LGU Duplex 1 and Duplex 2; Operation Blessing (OB) in Sto. Nino village and 3 Operation Compassion TRS transitional shelters
The NHA has built 1,000 permanent concrete houses a Villa Sofia, Ridgeview and Diana.
The families were reminded that once they settled at their permanent resettlement areas, they will be responsible in maintaining cleanliness in their surroundings, peace and order within the community. (VICKY C.ARNAIZ)