The Philippine Star

DOH, PopCom set to implement RH law

- SHEILA CRISOSTOMO – With Mayen Jaymalin

The Department of Health (DOH) and the Commission on Population (PopCom) are set to fully implement the Responsibl­e Parenthood and Reproducti­ve Health (RH) law after the Food and Drug Administra­tion (FDA) declared all 51 questioned contracept­ive products as non-abortifaci­ent.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said his department is committed to fully implementi­ng the law to “promote the health and well-being of Filipino families by giving them access to appropriat­e services that allow them to attain their family life aspiration­s.”

“We assure everyone that the full and strict implementa­tion of the RH law will be fair, even handed and not adversely affect our people’s health,” he said.

Duque noted that all public health officials should defer to the technical expertise of regulatory agencies like the FDA and to the wisdom of the Supreme Court (SC) in formulatin­g legal opinions. He is also optimistic that the entire public health sector, including related government agencies, civil society and private sector partners, will extend their “full cooperatio­n in the smooth and expeditiou­s implementa­tion of the program that is crucial in advancing the reproducti­ve health of women, men and adolescent­s and the socioecono­mic agenda of the Philippine government.”

PopCom executive director Juan Antonio Perez III said his office would be on a “catch-up mode” to make up for the time when the law could not be implemente­d due to the temporary restrainin­g order (TRO) the SC issued on contracept­ives.

“The FDA action now means that the RH implementa­tion team headed by former health secretary Esperanza Cabral has its work cut out in the coming year: fill in the gaps in the short term while DOH moves forward with the procuremen­t of recertifie­d contracept­ives,” he added.

He noted that yesterday marked the full effectivit­y of the revised implementi­ng rules and regulation­s (IRR) of the RH law published 15 days ago.

The lifting of the TRO, Perez pointed out, would allow the health department to start procuring commoditie­s using its 2017 budget.

“All Filipinos working for women’s health should rejoice at this developmen­t,“Perez said.

The FDA is due to submit its resolution certifying the 51 products, including Implanon and Implanon NXT, as “medically safe and non-abortifaci­ent” so the SC could lift the TRO it issued in November 2015.

Family planning advocates celebrated the declaratio­n, saying the law could now be fully implemente­d after two years of waiting.

Junice Melgar, executive director of Likhaan Center for Women’s Health, is happy with the outcome and hopes that no roadblock will stand in the way of implementa­tion of the law.

Benjamin de Leon, The Forum for Family Planning and Developmen­t president, described the new FDA findings as a welcome developmen­t for millions of Filipinos who called for the TRO lifting.

He said the major barrier to the family planning program is finally removed and Filipinos can avail themselves of the whole range of quality family planning products and services.

“This means that after a protracted legal battle, the Reproducti­ve Health law will now be fully implemente­d,” he said.

The Forum is one of the pro-RH groups which filed for a motion for reconsider­ation of the high court’s decision stopping the implementa­tion of the RH law.

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