Family Planning In The Philippines Demeterio Melgar Junice
Draft for Consultation – Not to be quoted
UNFPA - ICOMP REGIONAL CONSULTATION
Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific
Addressing the Challenges
8-10 December 2010, Bangkok, Thailand
Family Planning in the Philippines
Demeterio-Melgar Junice
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of UNFPA and ICOMP. The content in this draft article should not be quoted.
Advancing Family Planning in the Philippines: a review of current evidence
Executive Summary
Some 73% of married women want to adequately space their next birth or stop childbearing altogether.
The government targeted 60% use of modern methods by 2010, which will not be met as modern CPR reached only 34% in 2008. At the fastest growth rate recorded in the last 30 years, it would take until
2020 to reach 60% modern CPR. There are an estimated 5.52 M married women with an unmet need for modern contraception, with some 2.32 M belonging to the two lowest wealth quintiles.
Available evidence point to old and new interlocking factors that contribute to the large gap between the demand for regulating births and the use of modern contraception. The major ones include:
• unfounded fears about the safety of modern methods, fanned by influential forces opposed to contraceptives, and not sufficiently addressed by the public health and education sectors
• inadequate quality and quantity of family planning care and interactions
• inequity in access by poor women to sterilization services (tubal ligation)
• inability of local governments in general to compensate for the termination of the nationallyorganized supply of contraceptives
• the focus of the last national government (2001–2010) to promote only natural family planning; and
• the decision of some major local governments to ban artificial contraceptives in areas they control.
Available evidence indicate that women in the highest quintile have been able to lower
UNFPA - ICOMP REGIONAL CONSULTATION
Family Planning in Asia and the Pacific
Addressing the Challenges
8-10 December 2010, Bangkok, Thailand
Family Planning in the Philippines
Demeterio-Melgar Junice
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of UNFPA and ICOMP. The content in this draft article should not be quoted.
Advancing Family Planning in the Philippines: a review of current evidence
Executive Summary
Some 73% of married women want to adequately space their next birth or stop childbearing altogether.
The government targeted 60% use of modern methods by 2010, which will not be met as modern CPR reached only 34% in 2008. At the fastest growth rate recorded in the last 30 years, it would take until
2020 to reach 60% modern CPR. There are an estimated 5.52 M married women with an unmet need for modern contraception, with some 2.32 M belonging to the two lowest wealth quintiles.
Available evidence point to old and new interlocking factors that contribute to the large gap between the demand for regulating births and the use of modern contraception. The major ones include:
• unfounded fears about the safety of modern methods, fanned by influential forces opposed to contraceptives, and not sufficiently addressed by the public health and education sectors
• inadequate quality and quantity of family planning care and interactions
• inequity in access by poor women to sterilization services (tubal ligation)
• inability of local governments in general to compensate for the termination of the nationallyorganized supply of contraceptives
• the focus of the last national government (2001–2010) to promote only natural family planning; and
• the decision of some major local governments to ban artificial contraceptives in areas they control.
Available evidence indicate that women in the highest quintile have been able to lower
References: Unless otherwise specified, the Philippine surveys commonly referred to as (year) NDHS in this report refer to the 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008 (National) Demographic and Health Surveys jointly published by 1993 NDHS. National Statistics Office (NSO) [Philippines] and Macro International Inc. (MI). 1994. 2003 NDHS. National Statistics Office (NSO) [Philippines], and ORC Macro. 2004. National Demographic and Health Survey 2003 2008 NDHS. National Statistics Office (NSO) [Philippines], and ICF Macro. 2009. National Demographic and Health Survey 2008 modern methods Sources: NDHS 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008; the total demand met by modern methods was calculated by dividing the current