Govt. funding for family planning important

ALMOST NINE in 10 Filipino adults believe that it is important for the government to allocate adequate public funding for modern methods of family planning. 

In a March 2022 Pulse Asia Survey, at least 88% of respondents said that it is important that the government “allocates funds for modern methods of family planning, such as pills, IUD, ligation, condom, and vasectomy.”  

Majority of respondents across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, particularly in Metro Manila (60%), Visayas (55%), Mindanao (63%), and across different socioeconomic classes (53% to 61%) consider funding for family planning to be “very important.”   

Public sentiment on the allocation of government funds for modern methods of family planning remain basically unchanged between February 2016 and March 2022, both at the national level and in the various survey subgroupings.   

In the latest survey, almost all or 97-99 percent of respondents from the Cordillera Administrative Region, Eastern Visayas (Region 8), Davao Region (Region 11), and Caraga Region (Region 13) find public funding for family planning to be important.   

“The results of this survey confirm our call on the government for adequate funding for modern family planning should be among the top priorities when it comes to crafting the national budget. We need to ensure that the government is able to support the choices of Filipino women and couples, particularly during the pandemic, when many are choosing to delay childbearing because of uncertainties in our current situation,” said Romeo Dongeto, executive director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development.  

The survey also revealed that a large majority of Filipino adults agree with the statement that men and women are equally capable of taking leadership roles such as leading organizations, government agencies, and the country.  

Large majorities across the four main geographic areas and socioeconomic classes hold this view. For 84 percent of Filipino adults, men and women are equally capable of taking on leadership roles. This view is upheld across geographical areas and classes (80% to 86% and 77% to 85%, respectively). In particular, those from Mindanao (53%) and those belonging to Class C (60%) strongly agree with this view.  

Only 8 percent of Filipino adults either disagree with this opinion (8%) or are undecided on the matter (8%). Additionally, disagreement is more manifest in Class E than Class C (14% versus 3%).  

“The Filipino nation has gone through great strides in ensuring the equal status of women with that of men in leadership. Through landmark laws and programs such as the Magna Carta of Women and the Reproductive Health Law, we have managed to close gender gaps in various areas, such as in education. But we know more needs to be done,” Dongeto stressed.  

“Our call in this election is for Filipinos to elect leaders who will act decisively ensuring women’s access to healthcare, particularly reproductive health and act with urgency on top concerns such as adolescent pregnancy. Addressing this and empowering young people will help us to close the still existing gaps,” he added. (Mindanao Examiner)