Popcom to strengthen family planning drive

The Commission on Population will strengthen its family planning campaign in areas where the program is hard to reach.

Popcom regional director Leo Rama said the public's acceptance of family planning in Metro Cebu is high, leading them to plan for the strengthening of the program.

He said they have already trained people who will conduct lectures and information dissemination on family planning in barangays.

"We are going to isolated areas where there are no doctors and nurses. We visit these areas to conduct lectures about family planning," Rama said during the start of the Population Development (PopDev) Week celebration yesterday.

Rama enjoins all provincial and city Popcom offices to come up with activities for this year's celebration, which started yesterday and will end on November 29, in coordination with the local government units.

Responsible parenthood is this year's focus of the celebration with the theme: "Responsible Parenthood for a healthy and Progressive Nation: Right Birth Spacing promotes Family Well being."

Responsible parenthood is recognized as essential in establishing a prosperous and healthy family. It is defined as the will and the ability to respond to the needs and aspirations of family members.

It also refers to the experiences, skills, qualities and responsibilities involved in being a parent and in teaching and caring for a child.

At the Regional Population Office, the weeklong celebration will highlight the government's commitment to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

The government encourages couples to practice birth spacing and breastfeeding to ensure quality health care for the mother and the child, family solidarity and family development.

To address the urgent need on birth spacing, the government is promoting scientific natural family planning. - Jasmin R. Uy/LPM