Manila – Reproductive health (RH) advocates are appreciative of President Benigno Aquino III for citing the need for Responsible Parenthood to help improve the Philippine education system.

Dr. Eden R. Divinagracia, Executive Director of the Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare Inc. (PNGOC) remarked that the Responsible Parenthood is one and the same with the bill pending in Congress which is entitled “Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and for Other Purposes.”

“This is a big step for all Filipinos. President Aquino who is a devout catholic understood the need for Responsible Parenthood to help manage our burgeoning population. Our country’s rapid population growth aggravates the debt menace, hampers the delivery of basic health care services, depletes further our scarce resources, and derails sustainable human development”, Dr. Divinagracia said.

PNGOC believes that the bill when enacted to law will provide an explicit government policy that ensures availability and accessibility of reproductive health information and services to the poor and hard-to-reach, marginalized population.

PNGOC understands that if the bill is passed, it will help poor Filipinos to receive correct and proper information not only on reproductive health but also knowledge on how to plan their family, decide on the number and spacing of children they can raise and support and in the end make them more responsible for their children’s future and family needs which include food and shelter.

PNGOC is a national umbrella network with more than 97 member NGOs. It strongly asserts that NOW is the right time for the passage of a Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood, and Population Development policy to recognize the needs of our women, children and families

Pass the reproductive health bill NOW!

Press release from the Philippine NGO Council on Population Health and Welfare, Inc.