P’sinan men reject vasectomy due to macho mentality

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Blame it on the macho image of Filipinos, or rather the Ilocanos.

In the Ilocos region, only eight men underwent vasectomy as a permanent family planning procedure last year. Of the eight, five are from Pangasinan while the rest are from other provinces in Region 1, based on data taken from various hospitals.

Dr. Ana Teresa de Guz-man, officer-in-charge of the provincial Population Commission office and also of the Provincial Health Office of Pangasinan, told newsmen that men’s resistance to vasectomy in Panga-sinan is “too strong.”

“Imagine a big province like Pangasinan with 2.6 million population and yet only five underwent vasectomy,” she said.

Pangasinan is the biggest province of Region 1. Unfortunately, this year, not even one from Pangasinan has been reported to undergo the family planning method, according to De Guzman.

“The usual misconception is that once they undergo vasectomy, they could no longer ‘perform’ or have an erection,” she said.

“It has a psychological effect on them and they think they could no longer have an erection,” said De Guzman. “They feel like their ego is lessened.”        

She said these are erroneous notions because the size will not be affected and only the passage of the sperm is cut.

“They can still ejaculate but there will be no sperm that will come out,” she said.

De Guzman also said they intensified their campaign last year on permanent family planning procedures like tubal ligation for women and vasectomy for men in preparation for the total phaseout of the help extended by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on family planning commodities to the provinces, including Pangasinan.

This total phaseout of USAID assistance takes effect next year.

Once the aid stops, couples using commodities like contraceptive pills would have to buy their own supplies, unlike before when these are given free in health centers and other health facilities across the province.

De Guzman observed that the eight men who underwent vasectomy did not want to be identified.

“If they talk in their communities, they cover their faces,” she said.

Because of this, Ilocanos are really looking for “champions” who will speak about vasectomy.

“The one who will say, like, ‘hello, I’m Juan de la Cruz and I underwent vasectomy. I didn’t feel anything negative but rather the sexual relationship I have with my wife got even better and now I am raising well my family because the number of my children no longer ballooned,’” De Guzman said.