LGUs urged to develop their own population management programs

Members of the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development Foundation Inc. are calling on local government units to develop their own population management programs as passage of House Bill 3773 or the Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Act of 2005 might be vague, saying the bill is "not the national government's priority at this time."

PLCPD members are composed of congressmen and women, provincial governors and vice governors, board members and town city councilors.

According to a PLCPD statement e-mailed to The Freeman, local governments should draft and file their own ordinances to answer concerns on population and reproductive health in their areas to fill the void.

Nueva Ecija representative Josefina Joson said the bill has been pending since February 2005.

The bill's deliberation, Joson said, has been delayed due to lack of quorum and the opposition raised by some lawmakers.

The bill's supporters feared it might become a casualty of the conflict between administration and opposition lawmakers.

Representative Edcel Lagman, principal author of HB 3773, is an ally of President Gloria Arroyo while many of the bill's supporters are opposition lawmakers like Cavite representative Gilbert Remulla and Akbayan representative Loretta An Rosales.

Joson said a smear campaign against the bill, like tagging such an "abortion bill", has succeeded in delaying the deliberation. - Ferliza C. Contratista