NEDA hopes aggressive RH push will reduce poverty incidence to 9%
THE NATIONAL Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will submit to the President a draft Executive Order (EO) calling for the “intensive” implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Act by local government units (LGUs).
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said that the more active roll out of family planning services is expected to reduce poverty beyond the government’s target.
“The intensive and extensive implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health is important. We’re going to submit that to the next cabinet meeting,” Mr. Pernia told reporters on Wednesday.
“Fully implementation” means “all LGUs and not just certain regions. So we need an Executive Order to mandate local governments to be active in implementing. There’s a demand for it especially from the poor because they have limited access to family planning services,” he added.
The prospective order comes on top of EO No. 12 which President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed in January 2017 ordering the accelerated implementation of the RPRH by the Health department and other LGUs.
“If we do that within the term of the President we can bring down poverty. Poverty could be reduced from 19% now to 9%. That’s our preliminary estimate.”
The 9% estimate compares with the government’s 13% poverty rate target in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.
Mr. Pernia said that poor families have an average of five to six children.
“Naturally there will be fewer poor not immediately but slowly. So the EO that we’re drafting will be submitted for implementation,” he said.
“It’s a very powerful tool. Reducing poverty through family planning program is the cheapest way to reduce poverty,” Mr. Pernia added. —