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Volume 6 No. 5 April 25, 2005

Youth Center opened in Surigao

Surigao City – The concern of the city government here over the rising problem directly confronting the young people was concretized with the formal launching of one-stop-shop center for the young people, named as, Surigao Youth Center, just recently.

The Center envisions developing responsible young men and women of Surigao City with a sound well-being spiritually, socially, emotionally, and economically.

It shall make available, at the minimum, services on counseling, skills training, orientation and seminar, and community outreach. “A youth camp may be held provided that funds are available”, said Mr. Jupiter J. Correos, the center manager.

POPCOM Regional Director Camilo S. Pangan suggested that “counseling services, which may be done through face-to-face, phone-in, group counseling, and counseling on-air, shall be strengthened as this is the most widely-availed services by the young people per experienced in the Butuan Youth Center”. “SYC is hoping to address issues on premarital sex, teenage pregnancies, and early marriages which are prevalent among young people today”, he added.

Part of the technical assistance of POPCOM-Caraga will be continuing competency training for the SYC staff. As a matter of fact, a 3-day skills training focused on facilitating, peer helping and group counseling immediately followed the SYC launching.

“SYC is very fortunate because the city government has professional psychologists and social worker trained on counseling. We are grateful to Mayor Cassurra for allowing these people to serve in the SYC”, Director Pangan said in his message.

The occasion was graced by Mayor Alfonso S. Cassurra, who was represented then by the city administrator, the two lady legislators, namely Honorables Regina Alaan and Melva Garcia, and Director Camilo S. Pangan. A number of city department heads, and some officers of the school-based organization, named as, Population and Development Club, were also present.

Awaiting for the identification of its permanent site, SYC is temporarily based adjacent to the City Population Office. Such set-up was made to facilitate closer supervision by Mr. Correos, who is also the City Population Officer.

The Center staff is now conducting barangay-to-barangay approach in promoting the services of the center. While visiting different barangays of the city, they also recruit young people who will be screened and trained for volunteer works in the center. Meantime, the center is tapping government-owned radio stations for preliminary promotion of their various services.

It can be recalled that the advocacy for the establishment of SYC came to a fruitful end late last year when Mayor Cassurra forged a memorandum of agreement with POPCOM-Caraga for the joint noble project. (Rutchie C. Saluta, IO II/POPCOM-Caraga)

Volume 6 No. 5 April 11, 2005

Labor leaders to bat for women issues

Butuan City – The fight against discrimination of women not only in workplaces, but in the society in general, is now carried on at the company level as labor union leaders pledged to support government’s program on gender and development (GAD).

Union leaders of the different private companies in the region convened for the Orientation-Workshop on Gender Sensitization conducted very recently by the Commission on Population and the Department of Labor & Employment to popularize gender and development at the private companies.

Most of the participants expressed their enthusiasm and interest of the orientation, hence, according to them, it was the first time they’ve heard about gender and development. This was concretized through the action plan designed by the labor leaders for their respective groups.

“Now, that we are gender sensitized, gender and development will be advocated to our respective companies, upon our return.” said the participants.

Director Camilo S. Pangan of POPCOM-Caraga, remarked that “POPCOM and DOLE will work hand in hand to strengthen the Family Welfare Program at the company level.”

“This activity is part of our partnership to further reach out the private institutions and make them aware that men & women are equal partner in all development efforts.” Pangan added. (Angie B. Antonio, IO-I/POPCOM)

Volume 6 No. 4 April 11, 2005

Demographic, health state exposed

Butuan City – The recent National Demographic and Health Survey uncovered the prevailing family and health conditions of the whole Filipino nation in a multi-sectoral forum organized lately by the government.

The two-day forum featured NDHS findings on fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, and other health concerns. Although the survey is national in scope, said forum also highlighted regional scenario.

“Fertility in Caraga is posted at 4 children per woman of reproductive age. This means that in Caraga, married couples exceed one child than they really wanted. This is one fertility issue that must be given attention to”, Director Camilo S. Pangan of POPCOM said.

Director Victor U. Baugbog of the National Statistics Office said in a conversation that high unmet need on family planning, high maternal mortality rate and high infant mortality rate were among the major issues in the 2003 NDHS.

The forum hoped to reach and challenge the 80 participants from different local government units, government agencies, NGOs, academe, media, civil societies to design interventions that would address the findings of the recent NDHS.

The activity was spearheaded by NSO with the active participation of POPCOM and DOH. (Rutchie C. Saluta,IOII POPCOM-Caraga

Volume __ No. 1 February 10, 2005

Campaign on FP goes door-to-door

Butuan City – The government now embarks on a door-to-door strategy, intensifying the efforts to address the family health needs of every couple starting this February.

Dubbed as 2005 Ligtas Buntis Campaign, it is expected to deliver basic information on fertility awareness; national and modern family methods including method effectiveness, side effects, complications, myths and misconceptions; maternal care, RTIs, Philhealth benefits package on Family Planning (FP); schedule and location of health facilities where services can be obtained.

Contrary to allegations of some sectors, the team, which shall be created for the campaign, shall respect the rights of the couples to decide to adopt FP or otherwise. If couples will decide to avail FP interventions, they will be provided with the method/s of their choice or will be referred to appropriate health facilities for services. Appropriate counseling will also be provided to both adults and adolescents.

Target clients of this campaign are women ages 15-49 and men 15 years old and above. The services are packaged according to needs of the clients. However, adolescents aged 15-19 years old are among the secondary clients who will be given with fertility awareness orientation, FP counseling, and FP methods information.

The local governments are given the hand to strategize the campaign following the four service delivery models to ensure widest coverage of services and information. It can be in a home, clinic, hospital or community setting or a combination of these. Itinerant team may be tapped by a community.

Dr. Brenda Lopez, DOH-Regional Director, said “Local Government Units have options which model they think would be most effective in their locality”.

The Regional Technical Working Group has already oriented the health workers of the provinces and cities of this region regarding the campaign. Population workers were also represented.

POPCOM Director Camilo S. Pangan said “our office is concentrating on the Information, Education, Communication (IEC) and advocacy activities as our commitment to the campaign”.

The LGUs will be on the lead in the Ligtas Buntis Campaign, with the support from DOH, POPCOM and Philhealth.(Rutchie C. Saluta,IOII POPCOM-Caraga)

February 5, 2004

Youth push reforms

for own sake

Bislig City - A group of young people here has asked that reforms be instituted in the bureaucracy giving more priority this rime to their needs and demands making them more significant in the continuing effort for development.

In a recent three-day gathering of young people from the various sectors, a number of suggestions fitted to put an end to the growing concerns affecting the welfare and interests of the youth were designed and communicated to all the concerned government agencies for immediate action.

The presentation f the invited resource persons during the Pag-asa Youth Movement Youth Camp organized principally by the local Social Welfare and Development Office centered on the various risks confronting the young people with their rate continue to rise.

The Population Program Officer, Erlinda P. Kimberly. pointed out that a large number of young men and women engage in behaviors that can potentially hurt their transition to adulthood and the consequences of which may persists the rest of their lives.

Ms. Kimberly was referring to the latest study citing that around 23 percent or two out of 10 people Filipino youth had premarital sex in the other year, and worst, 94 percent of them were unwilling and unprepared to become parents.

The study added that more Filipino youth have chosen to postpone marriage. Delayed marriage has been accompanied by increase in live-in arrangements. Nearly four percent of females aged 15 to 19 and around 8 percent aged 20 to 24 were live in arrangements.

These sexual risks behaviors among the youth are accompanied by vices that put them at high risk for premature death, disability and chronic illnesses. This was learned in the session with the local police authorities saying that almost 47 percent of young people smoked, while 70 percent drank alcohol. Police authorities continued that drug use was rampant in high school and college, where in 11 percent of boys and girls indulged into vice.

Given this scenario, youth leaders opined that efforts to address the right and needs of the youth should actively involve young people in creating and implementing policies and programs.

It was campaigned by the youth leaders that policies and programs must be enhanced by making culturally sensitive, high quality, accessible and user-friendly services and information more accessible to them. (Alexander A. Makinano, PO IV / TSD Chief designate of POPCOM-Caraga)

Volume 8 No. 2 March 10, 2004

POPCOM: Responsible sexuality key to women empowerment

Butuan City – Responsible sexuality is the Commission on Population’s centerpiece in its sustaining advocacy campaign for women empowerment, the focal message for this women’s month celebration.

This campaign was triggered by the 2002 Young Adult Fertility & Sexuality (YAFS) Survey which shows an increasing premarital sex (PMS) levels among young women. In 1994, PMS prevalence among females was recorded at 10 percent and it rose to 16 percent in 2002 or an increased of 55 percent. While PMS levels were predominantly higher among young males than females, YAFS 3 data points to a catching up among females in terms of PMS practices.

“Women should have the full control of their body, even on decisions affecting their sexual relations should be free from coercion or force by their male partners. This is a basic human right.”, Director Camilo S. Pangan of POPCOM-Caraga explained.

Director Pangan said that irresponsible sexual behavior among the youth that often results to unintended pregnancy contributed a lot to the ballooning population. The State of the Philippine Population Report II reveals that childbearing among our youth is one of the largest sources of population growth in the country. Of the estimated 1.7 million babies being born every year, around 30 percent come from young women.

Demography experts believed that the earlier our youth begin to bear children, the more rapidly this group will add new members to the population. The timing of births then becomes most crucial. The National Demographic and Health Survey in 1998 reported that by age 24, each of our young women already bore one child.

“If this situation continues, what could be the future of our country when many young people who are said to be the hope of the nation are fast becoming unprepared parents themselves?”, Director Pangan remarked.

“Let us communicate to the youth the trials and joys of parenting. We have to stress that good parenting requires responsible sexual decisions for the welfare not only of individuals and families but also for the welfare of our country, and that the subject of reproductive health is a must for effective parenting”, he added. (Rutchie C. Saluta, IO II / POPCOM-Caraga)

Volume 8 No. 2 March 10, 2004

New Center for youth opens

Butuan City – Young people of the city will soon access improved services of the Butuan Youth Center as its inauguration is finally set in the afternoon of March 11 with guests from the Philippine Center of Population and Development (PCPD).

Being the funding agency, PCPD takes pride in the successful operation of the BYC for almost two (2) years now.

While POPCOM supervises the overall operations of the Center, the City Government of Butuan through Mayor Leonides Theresa B. Plaza gave counterpart for the project operation. Likewise the new building was funded out from the CDF of Hon. Naiza Chua, SK Federation President.

The Center stands very close to the chapel and basketball court of Barangay Tandang Sora, this city. (Rutchie C. Saluta, IO II/POPCOM-Caraga)

March 8, 2004

POPCOM chief meets local advocates

Butuan City – The Executive Director of the Commission on Population, Tomas M. Osias, will meet the population officers of the different cities and provinces of Caraga in a Regional Population Management Conference (RPMC) on March 11, here.

ED Osias will lay down latest policies crafted at the national level in the hope to map-out innovative strategies with the local population officers strengthening the implementation of the population program at the local level.

Other significant activity on March 11 which will be graced by ED Osias is the blessing of the new site of POPCOM-Caraga at Ochoa Avenue cor. Malvar St., this city.

Osias will have the chance to meet with other stakeholders in the formal inauguration of the new site of Butuan Youth Center at 3:00 PM of the same day. (Rutchie C. Saluta, IO II/POPCOM-Caraga)

ED Osias during his visit.