RP needs to improve maternal health, population program

The Philippines needs to improve on its maternal health and population management programs to meet the goals of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the Population Commission (PopCom) said yesterday.

But generally, the country has done well in dealing with other concerns of the ICPD last held 10 years ago in Cairo, Egypt, PopCom executive director Tomas Osias noted.

"I could say we’re doing good. Our infant mortality rate (IMR) is going down while our enrollment (in schools) is going up. We have advocated for gender equality and equity," Osias said in a telephone interview.

He added the prevalence of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes the deadly disease AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, remains slow and low as envisioned by the ICPD.

The ICPD was held to eliminate discrimination and abuses against women and to promote their health and welfare.

As targeted by the ICPD, Osias said the Philippines had reduced its IMR and mortality rates for children below five years of age by one-third, or 50 and 70 per 1,000 live births, respectively, in 2000.

By next year, the country’s IMR and under-five years old mortality rate is expected to go down further.

Over the past 10 years, enrollment in public elementary schools has also been increasing.

In the early 1990s, the school "participation rate" was pegged at 89.1 percent but it went up to 96.9 percent in 2000.

Osias, however, stressed the need for the Philippines to intensify its campaign on maternal health and population management to meet the ICPD objectives.

PopCom records showed that 20 percent of married women do not have access to reproductive health services. ICPD has targeted that such "unmet needs" would have been fully addressed by 2015.

"The gap between the proportion of women using contraceptives and the proportion expressing a desire to space or limit their families should be reduced," Osias said.

The Washington-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) earlier said there were signs the Philippines’ fertility rate was slowly declining as the number of married women between 15 and 49 using all forms of contraception has risen marginally to 49 percent. The number of women using modern contraceptive methods is up 33 percent.

The Church wields considerable influence on policy issues in the predominantly Catholic nation and campaigns against officials who promote artificial contraception.

The proposed legislative measure limiting families to only two children each have been shot down by practically all sectors of society.

The Philippines has a population of close to 84 million, ranking it as the 12th most populous country in the world. This is expected to grow to 118.4 million by 2025 and to 147.3 million by 2050.

The Philippines, however, is seen to maintain its 12th place ranking until 2050, according to recent PRB statistics.

President Arroyo has said population explosion is not her foremost concern, calling on Congress instead to first tackle bills prioritized by her administration.