PDAF gone now/ Preggies need help

A news item bringing smiles to our lips is that of Education Secretary Armin Luistro’s appeal for donations of toys for children in Yolanda-affected areas — and for lipstick! The reason, said the secretary, is thatwhen the teachers return to work, they feel confident about looking good. I agree with the secretary; make-up makes women feel good. In fact I’d long thought that if I were stranded in an island, I’d like to have lipstick — and an eyebrow pencil — brightening my situation.

On the more serious note, the secretary urged local public officials to immediately construct temporary classrooms. “The best way for kids to recover is to bring them back to school,” he said.

There are around 1.1 million students in Eastern Visayas, he said. At least three DepEd personnel were killed, and around 3,200 schools were destroyed by Yolanda.

 Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) is unconstitutional, severalthings, among others,are made clear: legislators no longer have funds to support projects from which they are perceived to get huge commissions;it is likely that people will think twice about running for a congressional seat since they will no longer have access to funds to pay back their patrons’ support. And, from conversations with legislators who had nothing to do with the pork barrel scam, they are in a quandary on how to continue their well-meant programs, like scholarships for deserving students who are currently enrolled in colleges.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, an administration ally, worries about the SC’s decision to freeze the remaining P13-billion pork of lawmakers to boost funding for the relief and rehabilitation of his typhoon-battered province. As quoted in the papers, Rep. Evardone has said, “It felt like Yolanda came back to hurt us again. It is a big blow to our efforts to raise funds for the rehabilitation and reconstruction.While all sectors of society in the national and international community are in a frenzied mood to look for resources to support the typhoon victims, the SC appears to be insensitive to our situation. Congress should appeal the SC decision.”

I’m not sure if the high court’s ruling will have an effect on Senate President Franklin M. Drilon’s proposal to have the unspent PDAF 2013 budget amounting to P14.5 billionused for relief operations and rehabilitation of Yolanda-crippled regions.

“We urge the President to certify (the) supplemental budget as urgent, as the funds can be promptly used by the necessary agencies for the relief and rehabilitation of areas struck by these recent disasters, particularly the typhoons Yolanda, Santi andLabuyo, the siege of Zamboanga City, and the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the Visayas,” Drilon said.

 Hewelcomes the high court’s decision, he said, adding that the decision “reinforces the government’s efforts to reform the country’s political system.” He emphasized, though, that “insofar as the Senate is concerned, the Supreme Court’s decision is already moot and academic” because the senators had already made several actions geared towards the abolition of the PDAF as part of the national budget.”

 The Senate passed a resolution waving their use of the remaining PDAF for 2013. In addition, a majority of the senators have already decided to fully delete the PDAF in the 2014 budget, which in effect will lower the country’s budget deficit pegged at P266.2 billion, noted Drilon.

* * *

The baby born at the start of super typhoon Yolanda is lucky to be gettingdelighted public reaction. But not all babies to be born following her birthmay not be as lucky – if their mothers do not receive proper medical care.According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), some 235,000 pregnant women affected by Yolanda face heightened risks in the storm’s aftermath. They urgently need assistance, particularly the restoration of maternal and newborn health services.

Based on government estimates that between 9 and 13 million Filipinos have been affected by Haiyan, UNFPA reports that around 900 deliveries are taking place every day in the storm-hit areas, many in makeshift clinics, in the absence of functioning medical facilities and skilled birth attendants. Each day, approximately 130 of these mothers will experience potentially life-threatening complications.

Six months before Yolanda, around 157,000 mothers who have delivered in the past six months need care to prevent diseases that could lead to maternal or infant deaths.

 In her released statement, Genvieve Ahse, acting UNFPA representative in the Philippines, said, “Babies continue to be born even in emergencies like (the Yolanda typhoon)and women have to give birth without access to even the most basic essentials for safe delivery. In these situations, the sudden loss of medical support puts women and their newborns are at higher risk of death or injury.”

 As part of the UN’s Humanitarian Action Plan for typhoon Haiyan launched last week, UNFPA is mobilizing PHP172 million (US$4 million) to restore life-saving maternal and newborn care services,including emergency obstetrics care to ensure safe births.

InUNFPA’slist ofpriorities to support the affected provinces are clinical delivery equipment, supplies and medicines for temporary birthing facilities; provisionof clean delivery kits for women in their last trimester of pregnancy (these kits contain supplies that allow women to deliver at home in cases where they do not have access to a clinic);setting up of health centers to provide primary health care, including basic emergency obstetric care, and distribution of hygiene kits to women and girls of child-bearing age, with pregnant and breastfeeding mothers as priorities.

In hard-hit Eastern Samar, equipment and supplies that UNFPA prepositioned at the Provincial Health Office have been deployed to the municipality of Guiuan. These include delivery beds, midwifery kits and hospital beds. A generator set, cold storage for medicines, and hygiene kits are also on the way to the province.

* * *

The Institute for Social Studies and Action (ISSA) marks its30th founding anniversary with a meetingamong ISSA staff employees and board members, project partners, consultants and resource persons on Saturday, November 23 at ISSA’s former office on Quezon avenue.The theme of the celebration is “Let’s keep the fire burning for SRHR.”

ISSA was founded in 1983 to be the IEC and social marketing arm of Women’s Health Care Foundation (WHCF). It quickly became recognized nationally and internationally as a pioneering leader for sexual and reproductive health and rights advocacy, training, research, publication, and networking.

Its vision is a dynamic institution dedicated to protecting and promoting human rights focused on sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and universal access to justice, all for the improvement of the quality of life, especially of women and youth. It is committed to ensuring that women and youth, especially those belonging to the more vulnerable sectors of society, will be empowered to enjoy their right to health, gender equality and justice.

ISSA was one of the original organizations which worked for the Anti-Rape Bill, the HIV/AIDS Bill (and amendments), and the RH Bill. It was an official delegate to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Developmentin Cairo, Egypt;founding member of the Philippine National AIDS Council,and co-organizer of the Philippine NGO Council for Health, WomanHealth Philippines, and Remedios AIDS Foundation. Various Philippine government departments and agencies invites ISSA staffers astrainors, resource persons, and consultants

 During its 30th anniversary celebration, ISSA will launch the “Guidebook for SRHR Advocacy in the Philippines” as an output of PROJECT CHAMPS which was implemented by ISSA, 3RG/DEW, and WomanLead and38 NGO partners throughout the Philippines, with EUfinancial assistance.

My email:[email protected]