The Philippine

Population Management

Program
Commission on Population
 Population Policy Under Different
Government Administrations

Policy Thrusts and Features

Marcos Aquino Ramos Estrada Arroyo

 Emphasis on  Population issues  Renewed support Carried forward  Emphasis on
negative lost priority & for Family Planning support for responsible
consequences of momentum moderating parenthood,
rapid population  Recognized role
population growth natural methods
growth  Emphasis on of rapid population *FP to assist and linkage to
rights of couples to growth in couples achieve poverty
 Adopted FP that determine number constraining desired fertility and reduction
provided both of children socioeconomic promote health  Four pillars-
information and progress *Contraceptive - Responsible
services plus  FP program
mix - scenarios to parenthood
advocacy of a small emphasized  Adopted FP in the
achieve faster - Respect for
family size norm maternal and child context of reduction in fertility
life
health reproductive health - Birth Spacing
- Informed
Choice
Commission on Population
 The Philippine Population Policy

Responsible Parenthood for Sustainable Development

1987 “The state shall defend the

Constitution right of the spouses to
Article XV, found a family in
Section 3.1 accordance with their
religious convictions and
the demands of
responsible parenthood.”

Commission on Population
 FOUR PILLARS OF THE
POPULATION POLICY

• Responsible parenthood
• Respect for life
• Birth spacing
• Informed choice

Commission on Population
4 Pillars
1. Responsible Parenthood

The will and ability to respond

to the needs and aspirations of
the family and the children.

Shared responsibility between

men and women to achieve
desired number, spacing, and
timing of their children

Commission on Population
4 Pillars
2. Respect for Life

 Abortion is unacceptable as an
FP method
 Family Planning aims to prevent
abortions therefore save the
lives of both women and men.

Commission on Population
4 Pillars
3. Birth Spacing

Birth spacing is the proper

spacing of births ideally two to
three years from the last
pregnancy.

Commission on Population
4 Pillars
4. Informed Choice
Family Planning program provides
timely, accurate and information to
couples to arrived at an informed choice;
respects the couples desires; never
imposes decisions on them

Commission on Population
Commitment and adherence to the
four policy objectives…

Reduce incidence of teenage pregnancy,

incidence of early marriage and other RH
problems; and

Contribute to policies that will assist

government to achieve a favorable
balance between population and
distribution, economic activities and the
environment.
Commission on Population
Program Directions

 Reproductive Health
 Adolescent Health and
Youth Development
 Population and
Development Integration
 Resource Mobilization

Commission on Population
Local Government Code Sec.17

…has devolved to local governments

the responsibility for the provision of
basic services and facilities,
including family planning services
and population development
services which are classified under
social welfare services.

Commission on Population
 Empowering
Young Filipinos

The Adolescent Health

and Youth Development
(AHYD) Program
Program

Commission on Population
 Adolescent Health and Youth
Development (AHYD) Program

• Overall Goal
To improve and promote the total wellbeing
of young people between the ages 10-14,
15-24, 25-30, giving priority to age group 15-
24 by addressing their sexual and
reproductive health needs and concerns.

Commission on Population
 Adolescent Health and Youth
Development (AHYD) Program
• Program Objectives
To prevent or reduce the incidence of:
• too early and unintended pregnancy;
• early marriages;
• sexually transmitted infections; and
• the negative impact of the foregoing on
overall growth and development of the
young people

Commission on Population
Promoting AHYD Program: To whom do we reach
out and work with?

Commission on Population
 WHAT ARE THE
AHYD PROGRAM
STRATEGIES?

Commission on Population
IEC and Advocacy Strategies
• The National Population
Quiz (PopQuiz)

- An event co-implemented
by PopCom and DepEd
which is primarily aimed to
increase the awareness and
interest of the young people
on population and
development issues and
concerns

Commission on Population
IEC and Advocacy Strategies
“Crossroads” (2011)

- An indie film which

depicts young people’s
various issues and
concerns--- romantic
relationships, teen
pregnancy and early
marriages, conflict with
parents and substance
abuse among others.

Commission on Population
• The title of the movie symbolize
the many crossroads a young
person encounters in her/her life.
The crossroads represent life
choices and there choices or
roads or turns that, when taken,
have the great consequences or
impact on ones life, especially on
a young person’s life. An
adolescent has to learn some life
skills and strengthen values to
avoid dangerous turns.

Commission on Population
• Fertility awareness
among the youth
• Premarital Sex
among the youth
• Gender issues in
boy-girl
relationship.
• Non-sexual risk
behaviors
• Sexual risk
behaviors

Commission on Population
IEC and Advocacy Strategies
Counseling on Air (CoA)
- A longstanding initiative in
Region 6, the CoA in Iloilo
City is aired in 3 radio
stations (Bombo Radyo,
Radyo ng Bayan and My
Only Radio for Life) and
anchored by peer
educators trained by
PopCom Region 6
technical staff.

- ASRH Media Campaign

(C4C Project )that will
promote parenting and
Parenting Adolescents,
which aims to promote
the total well being of
adolescents by reaching
the parents of the
adolescents ages 15-19
living in transitional
shelters , anchored by the
Information management
Unit of POPCOM 8
Commission on Population
IEC and Advocacy Strategies
Other Strategies
Infomercials
Orientations on adolescent sexual and
reproductive health in schools and communities
(ISY, OSY, teachers, population program
workers, faith-based organizations, media, etc.)
Youth Camps
AHYD Film Festival

Commission on Population
AHYD FILM FESTIVAL

Commission on Population
 Capability Building
AHYD/ASRH Trainings

- Aims to enrich the knowledge of young people

on the various AHYD/ASRH concepts as well as
issues and concerns and the skills on how to
cascade such knowledge to their peers.

- Utilizes the SHAPE training modules.

Commission on Population
TRAINING TOOL
Sexually Healthy and
Personally Effective
(SHAPE) Adolescent
Learning Package

• ASRH
• Quality Family Life and
Responsible
Parenthood
• Youth Empowerment
and Sustainable
Development
• Life Skills
Commission on Population
 Capability Building
Parent Education on Adolescent Health and
Development Classes

• Aims to equip the parents and educate them with the

necessary knowledge on sexuality and other health related
concerns of adolescents and skills on communicating such
concerns to their children; and

• Highlight the role of parents as primary source of accurate and

sound information on adolescent health and development.

• Utilizes the LPPEd training modules.

Commission on Population
TRAINING TOOL
Learning Package on Parent
Education on Adolescent
Health and Development
• Me as Parent
• Me and my Family
• Knowing and Understanding my
Adolescent
• Building a Positive Relationship
with my Adolescent
• Harnessing my Adolescent with
Life Skills
Commission on Population
 Why the Parent Education Program?
Filipino adolescents…

• Share the same challenges

with the young people
around the world.

• Exposed to various kinds of

vulnerabilities, risks and
threats.

• In need of understanding,
guidance and support from
the people surrounding
them.

Commission on Population
 Why the Parent Education Program?
• The family, specifically the
parents is seen as the basic
provider of support.

• Positive relationship with

parents can be a protective
factor for adolescents from
engaging in early sexual
activities (WHO, 2005).

• Increased parent-child
communication decreases
the likelihood of adolescents
to engage in sexual risk-
taking activities (Marquez,
2004)
Commission on Population
Why the Parent Education Program?

However, this is also the period that parents and their

adolescent children are often in a tug-of-war.

Commission on Population
 Why the Parent Education Program?
• Communication between
Filipino adolescents and
their parents remains low
(Marquez, 2004).

• Only a small number of

Filipino adolescents learn
about sexuality from their
parents wherein a mere 10
percent of them freely
discuss such topic with their
fathers and/or mothers
(Raymundo et. al., 1999).

Commission on Population
Getting the parents on board…
Policy Objective (2006) Policy Strategies (2006)

• Undertake parent education

Help adolescents and program on adolescent
youth exercise responsible sexuality
responsible sexuality to
• Provide age-appropriate,
reduce incidence of values laden and rights
teenage pregnancies, based information,
early marriages, sexually education and counseling
services; and
transmitted infections
and other psycho-social • Conduct training for youth
concerns on life skills and fertility
awareness.

Commission on Population
Objectives of the Parent Education Program
on Adolescent Health and Development

1. Help parents
to effectively
communicate
with their
adolescent child/
children through
skills building;
and

2. Highlight their
role as primary
educators on
health and
development
concerns.

Commission on Population
Learning Package on Parent Education on
Adolescent Health and Development

Commission on Population
Features of the LPPEd-AHD Modules

• Flexible
• Values-based
• Participatory and Interactive
• User-friendly

Commission on Population
 Module 1: Me as a Parent
To effectively parent an
adolescent, one must have a
clear understanding of one’s
self.

Knowing one’s strengths and

building on them and
overcoming one’s
weaknesses are the building
blocks to a good parent-child
and family relationship.

Commission on Population
Module 2: Me and My Family

Knowing the concept of a

family thoroughly means
empowering families so that
they can defend themselves
against modern day threats,
particularly those concerning
adolescent health and overall
development.

Commission on Population
 Module 3: Knowing and
Understanding My Adolescent

The age of adolescence is

a journey of exploration
and discovery. Parents,
too, need to learn about
the journey their
adolescent children go
through, and together, the
more they know and
understand each other, the
more the pleasant the
journey will be.

Commission on Population
 Module 4: Building Positive
Relationship with My Adolescent

The parenting journey

is fun, fearful, and
sometimes frantic.
Highly effective
parents are those who
relate and communicate
well with their
adolescents.

Commission on Population
 Module 5: Harnessing My
Adolescent with Life Skills
Parents are the primary
educators and trainers of
their adolescent children in
imparting life skills to
counter issues about their
health and overall
development. Adolescents
who learn the Core Life
Skills are equipped to face
life’s challenges.

Commission on Population
Parenting Class with Couples and Adolescents

Commission on Population
Parenting Class with Officers of the Parent-
Teachers Confederation Association (PTCA)

Commission on Population
Parenting Class in the Work Place

Commission on Population
Parenting Classes with Indigenous People

Commission on Population
Policy Research and Advocacy
• Parental Involvement in Adolescent Health
and Development; PopCom and UPPI,
2012

• Lifestyle, Health Status and Behavior of

Young Workers in Call Centers and Other
Industries: Metro Manila and Cebu;
PopCom and UPPI, 2010

Commission on Population
Policy Research and Advocacy
• Young Adult Fertility & Sexuality Study
2002
• Young Adult Fertility & Sexuality Study
2013
• Study on the Incidence of Teenage
Pregnancy in Times of Disaster: Cases of
Typhoon Yolanda and Ruby in Eastern
Visayas.

Commission on Population
 What Is YAFS?
 YAFS aims to provide updated information
on a broad range of adolescent sexuality
and reproductive health issues which could
be used in formulating intervention
measures that will promote and safeguard
the health and welfare of youth.

Commission on Population
Why disseminate YAFS to young people?

• YAFS is about some sensitive and important

information about the youth as shared by them
 Many information in YAFS can help them reflect
about their own & their peers’ level of knowledge,
nature of attitudes, experiences & behavior on sex
& sex-related issues
 Information helps youth to better understand
themselves & their environment which enable them to
make sound decisions about their own lives

Commission on Population
Sexual, Non-Sexual and Multiple Risk-Behaviors

Premarital Sex (PMS)

• Around 23% or 2 out of 10 Filipino youth had premarital sex in 2002.
• Almost all (94%) who already had sex said they were unwilling and
unprepared to become parents.
• PMS is highest in NCR and Eastern Visayas at nearly four out of 10
engaging in PMS.
• Average age of initiation to sex is 17.5 years old.

Unprotected Sex
• More females did not use any contraceptive method during their
first sexual encounter.

Commission on Population
 Socio-Economic –Demographic Background

• About 3 in 4 youth in Eastern

Visayas have never been
married. More youth are in a
live-in arrangement (19%) than
in formal union (4.5%)-a
pattern consistent with the
national figure. The proportion
of youth who are formally
married is the 3rd lowest but
the proportion living-in is the
2nd highest in the country.
Commission on Population
 Technical Assistance
• Provides TA to partner agencies,
NGOs/CSOs, faith-based organizations,
LGUs and other stakeholders in various
initiatives such as establishment of
satellite centers /teen centers,
development of IEC/Advocacy tools and
materials and conduct of trainings and
orientations among others.

Commission on Population
For CY 2014,
Launching and implementation of the…

U4U

Commission on Population
U4U: Anong bakas and iyong
iiwan?

Commission on Population
 U4U (You for You)
• A youth hub initiative of PopCom and
UNFPA.
• Aims to deliver critical information to
Filipino teens aged 10-19 years old to
prevent or reduce the incidence of
pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections.

Commission on Population
What are the U4U platforms?
• Online portal (www.u4u.ph)

• Social media (Facebook)

• Interactive voice response system (IVRS)

• Teen trail

Commission on Population
• Online Portal
(www.u4u.ph)
- A dynamic and
interactive website
that allows teen
users to learn about
self-identity, life
skills, friendships
and health advocacy
among others

Commission on Population
 Social Media
(www.facebook.com/U4U.ph)

Commission on Population
• Interactive Voice
Response System
(IVRS)
- A automated mobile
service that gives
recorded information
to teens who send a
“U4U” text message
to dedicated mobile
phone numbers

Commission on Population
How does the IVRS work?
• A teen sends alert message to dedicated
numbers.

• He/She receives a free call from an

automated or virtual “Ate” or “Kuya”.

• He/She navigates through simple

algorithm of messages.

Commission on Population
 HELLO
BOY GIRL

CHANGES TEEN CHANGES TEEN

SEX SEX
IN BODY HEALTH IN BODY HEALTH

TEEN BODY TEEN

HEIGHT ENERGY PREGNANCY ENERGY PREGNANCY
WEIGHT

SEXUALLY SEXUALLY
ODOR NUTRITION TRANSMITTED PIMPLES NUTRITION TRANSMITTED
INFECTIONS INFECTIONS

REPRODUCTIVE REPRODUCTIVE
SEXUAL SEXUAL
ERECTION HEALTH
PREFERENCE
MENSTRUATION HEALTH
PREFERENCE
SYSTEM SYSTEM

HEALTH HEALTH
GOODBYE
SERVICES SERVICES
Teen Trail
• An educational and entertaining teen
caravan that is set up in schools and
communities and managed by teens
themselves. Includes interactive exhibit,
fun workshops, songs and dances.

Commission on Population
Teen Trail Interactive Exhibit
Glimpse of U4U Launch…
Young people are the most
important resource for the future
and greater investments in them
by parents and societies are
essential to the achievement of
sustained economic growth and
sustainable development… (ICPD,
1994)

Commission on Population
Thank you!

Commission on Population