Philippines

Orientation
Identification. The Republic of the Philippines was named the Filipinas to honor
King Philip the Second of Spain in 1543. The Philippine Islands was the name used
before independence.
Demography. The estimated population in July 2000 was eighty-one million. The
average life expectancy is sixty-seven years. Four percent of the population is
over age sixty-five. The most populous area is Metropolitan Manila where eight
million to ten million people live.
Population - 103.3 million (2016)

Fertility rate - 2.94 births per woman (2015)

The current population of the Philippines is 105,312,514 as of Saturday,

September 30, 2017, based on the latest United Nations estimates.
The Philippines population is equivalent to 1.39% of the total world population.
The Philippines ranks number 13 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by
population.

Linguistic Affiliation. The official languages are Filipino, which is based on

Tagalog with words from other native languages, and English. Since only 55
percent of residents speak Filipino fluently, English is used in colleges, universities,
the courts, and the government. The country's seventy to eighty dialects are
derived from Malay languages. Three dialects are of national importance:
Cebuano in the southern islands, Ilocano in the north, and Tagalog, the
language of the National Capital Region. "Taglish," a mixture of Filipino and
English, is becoming a standard language. The dependence on English causes
concern, but since Filipino does not have words for scientific or technological
terms, English is likely to remain in common use.

Religion. Religion in the Philippines is marked by a majority of people being

adherents of the Christian faith. At least 92% of the population is Christian; about
81% belong to the Roman Catholic Church while about 11% belong to
Protestant Christian and independent Catholic denominations, such as Iglesia
Filipina Independiente, Seventh-day Adventist Church, United Church of Christ in
the Philippines and Evangelicals.

Gender Roles and Statuses

Division of Labor by Gender. Traditional roles prevail in rural areas, where men
cultivate the land but the entire family is involved in planting and harvesting the
crops. Women work in gardens and care for the house and children as well as
barnyard animals. In urban areas, men work in construction and machine
upkeep and as drivers of passenger vehicles. Women work as teachers, clerks,
owners of sari-saristores, marketers of produce and health care providers.
Occupational gender lines are blurred since men also work as nurses and
teachers. In the professions, gender lines are less important. Women attorneys,
doctors and lawyers are found in the provinces as well as in urban areas.
The Relative Status of Women and Men. While families desire male children,
females are welcomed to supply help in the house and provide a home in the
parents' old age. Women's rights to equality and to share the family inheritance
with male siblings are firmly established and are not questioned. The oldest
daughter is expected to become an OFW to provide money for the education
of younger siblings and for the needs of aging family members. Women are the
familial money managers. The wedding ceremony can include the gift of a coin
from the groom to the bride to acknowledge this role.
Since personal relationships and wealth are considered the road to success,
women have an equal opportunity to achieve. Winners of beauty pageants are
likely to succeed in the business and professional world, especially if the
pageant was at an international level.

Marriage, Family and Kinship

Marriage. Marriage is a civil ceremony that is conducted in city offices. A
religious ceremony is also performed. The ceremony is similar to those in the
United States with the addition of sponsors. Principal sponsors are friends and
relatives who have positions of influence in the community. The number of
principal sponsors attests to the popularity and potential success of a couple. It
also reduces a couple's expenses, since each principal sponsor is expected to
contribute a substantial amount of cash. Members of the wedding party are
secondary sponsors who do not have to provide funds.
Arranged marriages have not been part of Filipino life. However, men are
expected to marry and the median age for marriage is twenty-two. Young
professionals wait until their late twenties to marry, and engagements of five to
seven years are not uncommon. A woman who reaches the age of thirty-two
without marrying is considered past the age for marriage. Women believe that
marriage to a wealthy man or a foreigner will guarantee happiness. Divorce is
illegal, but annulment is available for the dissolution of a marriage. Reasons for
annulment include physical incapacity, physical violence, or pressure to change
one's religious or political beliefs. Interfaith marriages are rare.
Domestic Unit. The extended family is the most important societal unit, especially
for women. One child remains in the family home to care for the parents and
grandparents. This child, usually a daughter, is not necessarily unmarried. The
home may include assorted children from the extended family, and single aunts
and uncles. Several houses may be erected on the same lot to keep the family
together. Childcare is shared. Fathers carry and play with children but are
unlikely to change diapers. Grandparents who live in the home are the primary
care givers for the children since both parents generally work. Preschool
grandchildren who live in other communities may be brought home for their
grandparents to raise. Young people may work their way through college by
exchanging work for room and board. Family bonds are so close that nieces
and nephews are referred to as one's own children and cousins are referred to
as sisters and brothers. Unmarried adult women may legally adopt one of a
sibling's children.
Kin Groups. Because of the closeness of the immediate family, all familial ties are
recognized. Anyone who is remotely related is known as a cousin. People have
a strong sense of belonging to a place. A family that has lived in Manila for two
generations still regards a municipality or province as its home. New Year's Day,
Easter, and All Saint's Day are the most important family holidays. Bus traffic from
Manila to the provinces increases dramatically at these times, with hundreds of
extra buses taking people home to their families.

Socialization
Infant Care. Infants are raised by family members. Young children are sent to live
with their grandparents or aunts for extended periods. People who live outside
the country leave their children with the family for the preschool years.
Infants spend their waking time in someone's arms until they can walk. They are
part of every activity and learn by observation. Someone will remain in the room
with them when they sleep. Infant mortality is high, and so great care is taken of
babies. Helpers and older sisters assist with the day-to-day care of babies.
Child Rearing and Education. Filipinos regard education as the path to upward
mobility. Ninety percent of the population over ten years of age is literate. The
Department of Education, Culture and Sports is the largest governmental
department. Approximately twelve million elementary school pupils and five
million secondary students attended school in 1999 and 2000. Education is
compulsory until age twelve. Statistics indicate that children from the poorest 40
percent of the population do not attend school.

Higher Education. A college degree is necessary to obtain positions that promise

security and advancement. Approximately two million students attend colleges
and universities. Each province has a state college system with several locations.
English is the primary language of instruction at the college level. Colleges and
universities have large enrollments for advanced degrees since a four year
degree may not be sufficient to work in the higher levels of government service.
Medicine and Health Care
Life expectancy is seventy years for females and sixty-four years for males.
The Health Care Law of 1995 provides citizens with basic health care at no cost
through subsidies. The working poor are given financial assistance when
necessary. Children receive inoculations at no cost. The World Health
Organization (WHO) declared the Philippines to be polio-free in 2000. It is the first
nation in the world to be recognized for the elimination of polio.
The infant mortality rate is 48.9 percent, and one-third of the children are
malnourished. Over 13 percent of preschool and elementary school children are
underweight. A government program provides nutritious food for impoverished
pupils at the midmorning break. This is only offered to schools in the poorest
areas. National test scores are examined to see if improvement has occurred. If
the scores are better, the program is expanded.
The most prevalent health problem is "high blood" (hypertension). One in
ten persons over the age of fifteen has high blood pressure. Tuberculosis is
another health concern; the country has the fourth highest mortality rate in the
world from that disease. Malaria and dengue fever are prevalent because there
is no effective program for mosquito control. The number of deaths attributed to
dengue increased in the late 1990s. Herbal remedies are used alone or in
conjunction with prescribed medications.
WHAT IS FAMILY PLANNING?

Family Planning (FP) is having the desired number of children and when
you want to have them by using safe and effective modern methods. Proper
birth spacing is having children 3 to 5 years apart, which is best for the health of
the mother, her child, and the family.

Nodal Points in the Family Planning Program

The official Philippine Family Planning Program (PFPP) was created by the
Population Act (RA 6365), a law passed in 1971. From 1988 up to the present, the
PFPP has been led by the Department of Health (DOH) and framed as a public
health program with desirable demographic impact. Within this broad
framework, major variations occurred as a result of three main factors: the
presidents position on artificial contraception, an issue that has been elevated
to the highest office due to the strong opposition of the Catholic hierarchy; the
devolution of health personnel, facilities, budget and decision making to local
government units (LGUs); and the reproductive health framework and
international commitments made at the Cairo ICPD.

The first period (1988 1991) was a transition phase in many ways: the whole
government was rebuilding old and new institutions and processes after 14
years of authoritarian rule, and a law that would radically change the health
sector through devolution was proposed and ultimately passed in 1991. The
constitutionality and the need for a family planning program were debated at
the highest level of government. From a population program under the
Commission on Population (POPCOM), family planning survived and was
redefined as a health program under the health department.
The second period (1992 2000) was dominated by health devolution and the
ICPD. The actual transfer of health personnel, facilities and resources occurred
from 199394; legal efforts and mass campaigns from public health workers
and some officials to renationalize the sector continued until the late 1990s;
and a new health sector strategy to "make devolution work" was released in
2000. High-level commitments and efforts to promote family planning and
reproductive health were slowed down by the very new and fragmented
structure of the health sector.
The third period (20012010) was defined by the president's consistent support
for the Catholic Church's doctrine on contraception: the promotion of natural
family planning (NFP) and lack of commitment to artificial contraception and
the RH agenda of Cairo. Wittingly or unwittingly, the president also pushed
local autonomy to an extraordinary degree and weakened her own national
health department by allowing LGUs to ban artificial contraceptives in their
jurisdiction, as was done in the city of Manila.
Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (Republic
Act No. 10354), informally known as the Reproductive Health Law or RH Law, is
a law in the Philippines, which guarantees universal access to methods
of contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care.
The RH bill was finally signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III in 2012,
after a 15-year struggle led by advocates and lawmakers.

In April 2014, the RH law was declared constitutional by the Supreme Court,
which then ordered the FDA to verify whether the family planning commodities
to be used are safe and do not induce abortion.
The bill mandates the government to "promote, without biases, all effective
natural and modern methods of family planning that are medically safe and
legal."
Although abortion is recognized as illegal and punishable by law, the bill states
that the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-
abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-
judgmental and compassionate manner.
The bill calls for a "multi-dimensional approach" integrates a component of
family planning and responsible parenthood into all government anti-poverty
programs. Age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education is
required from grade five to fourth year high school using "life-skills and other
approaches."
The bill also mandates the Department of Labor and Employment to guarantee
the reproductive health rights of its female employees. Companies with fewer
than 200 workers are required to enter into partnership with health care
providers in their area for the delivery of reproductive health services.
Employers with more than 200 employees shall provide reproductive health
services to all employees in their own respective health facilities. Those with
fewer than 200 workers shall enter into partnerships with health professionals for
the delivery of reproductive health services. Employers shall inform employees of
the availability of family planning. They are also obliged to monitor pregnant
working employees among their workforce and ensure they are provided paid
half-day prenatal medical leaves for each month of the pregnancy period that
they are employed.
The national government and local governments will ensure the availability of
reproductive health care services like family planning and prenatal care.
Any person or public official who prohibits or restricts the delivery of legal and
medically safe reproductive health care services will be meted penalty by
imprisonment or a fine.
Modern contraceptive method mix
From 1993 to 2008, the top two methodspills and female sterilizationhave
consistently accounted for 71% or more of all modern method use. However,
both methods are undergoing substantial shifts. Sterilization has gone down
due to an 85% increase in pill current use and a 23% drop in sterilizations. The
proportions of sterilized women who have moved out of the reproductive years
have not been adequately replaced by the program. Although the increase in
pill use has more than made up for the drop in sterilizations, the better fit of the
latter to women who want no more children should not be underestimated.
Discontinuation is also a problem with pills. In the 2003 NDHS, more than a third
of women on pills, excluding those who want to get pregnant, stopped within
12 months due to a).side effects and health reasons; b).due to method failure;
and c).due to other reasons. The next three methodsIUDs, injections (DMPA,
reintroduced in 1994) and condomsmake up the next cluster, accounting for
some 25%27% of modern methods in the last 15 years. The last two methods
modern NFP and male sterilizationhave consistently registered less than 1%
use over the last 15 years. These methods have been part of the government's
program for a long time, much earlier than the injectable which has overtaken
the two.
Trends in modern contraceptive use
By age group

Current use by age follows an inverted U shape, with peak use by women in
their 30s for any modern method. All age groups increased their use from 1993
to 2008, but at different rates of growth. The largest gains came from the three
youngest age groups, with those aged 20-24 at the lead, having increased by
3.7% per year for 15 years. The oldest group, the 45-49s, had the smallest gain at
1.3% per year. It is the only group where current use dipped during the 15-year
period, from 26% in the 2003 survey to 22% in 2008.
By number of living children
The use of modern methods increases steadily until it peaks at women with
three children. Over the past 15 years, those with one child showed the most
significant annual rate of growth at 5%, almost 2 times the average for all.
Those with no children had 6% growth, but this had little impact as the
baseline was near zero. Those with three or more children improved their rate
of use, but below the 2.1% average growth rates. Those with three children
even registered a slight drop in current use from 2003 to 2008. The NDHS 2008
showed that women with only one to two children were usually in
professional, technical and managerial work (31%) and in sales and services
(31%), while those with five or more children were into agriculture (33%) and
also sales and services (26%). In general, women in agriculture tended to
have more children. Among women with children, and domestic service
(house help) is the only occupation other than agriculture that increased with
the number of children.
Traditional method use
Traditional methodsmainly the rhythm method and withdrawalhave had a
long history of use by a significant proportion of married women. The country's
first National Demographic Survey in 1968 recorded 11.5% use, which has risen
almost constantly although at a slow paceunder 1% annually until it
reached 16.3% in 2008. This level is relatively high compared to the recent rates
of neighboring countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand (1% in 2006), Timor-Leste
(3% in 2003), Laos (3% in 2000), Indonesia (4% in 2007), Vietnam (11% in 2008)
and Cambodia (13% in 2005).
The rhythm method became an official part of the family planning program at
its inception and discontinued by the health department in 1994. Among
rhythm users however, only a minority know the correct timing of a woman's
fertile periodbetween 26% to 48% in the four surveys from 1993 to 2008. This
suggests that most users have not had any formal orientation, much less
training, about the method.
What is Viagra?
Viagra (sildenafil) relaxes muscles found in the walls of blood vessels and
increases blood flow to particular areas of the body.

Viagra is used to treat erectile dysfunction (impotence) in men. Another brand

of sildenafil is Revatio, which is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension and
improve exercise capacity in men and women.

Teenage Pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy is the condition of being pregnant of adolescence aged
10 to 19. Those who are affected are the girl herself up to the national society.
The victims of teenage pregnancy are the girl herself, her child, her parents and
relatives and the national society as a whole. It will also probably make her
economically vulnerable. In fact, among the six ASEAN major economies, the
Philippines ranked the highest rate in teenage pregnancy. As of 2013, the fertility
rate in this age bracket is 57%.

Data from the National Statistics Office showed that 8 percent among 1.7
million babies born in 2004 were born to mothers 15-19 years old. Young
mother gave birth to 818,000 babies in 2000 alone. This means, almost one of
every 10 babies is born to teenage mothers. The risk is, almost 10 percent of
the born babies from young mothers are malnourished. As years passed by,
the statistics are getting higher. According to the study done by the
Population Institute of the University of the Philippines, more than 46 percent of
teenage pregnant woman resort to induced abortion which is against the law
and the Church; 2 of every 5 teenage pregnancies are unwanted ones. If the
government wont start acting on this, this problem will be worse as years goes
by.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING FAMILY PLANNING? DOH

Family planning provides many benefits to mother, children, father, and the
family.

Mother
Enables her to regain her health after delivery.
Gives enough time and opportunity to love and provide attention to her
husband and children.
Gives more time for her family and own personal advancement.
When suffering from an illness, gives enough time for treatment and
recovery.
Children
Healthy mothers produce healthy children.
Will get all the attention, security, love, and care they deserve.

Father
Lightens the burden and responsibility in supporting his family.
Enables him to give his children their basic needs (food, shelter,
education, and better future).
Gives him time for his family and own personal advancement.
When suffering from an illness, gives enough time for treatment and
recovery.

Duterte signs EO backing modern family planning

According to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Duterte
signed Executive Order No. 12 on Monday, January 9, 2017.
Its Executive Order No. 12 and the full title of the EO is Attaining and
Sustaining Zero Unmet Need for Modern Family Planning Services through the
Strict Implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health
Act, Providing Funds Therefore and for Other Purposes.
This Order aims to intensify and accelerate the implementation of critical
actions necessary and sustain zero unmet need for modern family planning for
all poor households by 2018, and all of Filipinos thereafter, within the context of
the [RH] Law and its implementing rules.
Pernia said the EO was really for modern family planning services,
modern contraceptives to be adopted by women of reproductive age.
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte would aggressively promote artificial birth control in
the country even at the risk of getting in a fight with the dominant Catholic
Church, which staunchly opposes the use of contraceptives. He also said said
that having many children has driven families deeper into poverty, and he
reiterated his recommendation for Filipinos to have three at most.
In December 2012, RPRH Law was approved by Congress and was signed
by former President Benigno Aquino III on December 21.
In 2014, the high court ruled that the RPRH law was constitutional although
it struck out certain provisions of the law.
The high court also issued a TRO in connection with the governments
procurement, selling, distributing and promoting contraceptive implants.

DOH to pursue but wont rush condoms distribution in schools

The Department of Health (DOH) will push through with its plan to
distribute condoms in schools despite criticisms from different groups, including
the Catholic Church.
 Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial assured the programs critics that in
implementing the program, the DOH would take it one step at a time. They said
that they are taking this one step at a time because they really have to win the
cooperation of the teachers and school health professionals. They cannot do
this alone in the DOH. There has to be cooperation.

Sen. Tito Sotto has been opposing the planned distribution of condoms to
students and has warned Ubial that she might not get the approval of the
Commission on Appointments (CA) if she pushes through with the plan.

Mayor Herbert Bautista said they would not allow Quezon City public schools to
become distribution hubs of contraceptives.

Ubial also said that they are entitled to their own opinion, they respect that. But
they will implement programs that will ensure the health and well-being of the
Filipino. They are duty-bound to implement scientifically sound and efficacious
health interventions even if it is unpopular to certain sectors or people. She
added that the DepEd wanted to ensure that teachers would be trained for the
task.

Amid the rising number of cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which
causes the dreaded Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), in the
Philippines, the DOH previously announced that it has been eyeing to adopt the
business unusual strategy. This includes distributing condoms in schools,
specifically in school clinics, in order to help educate students on HIV/AIDS.

STD issues

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also known as Sexually Transmitted Diseases

(STDs), are caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites that are transmitted through
unprotected sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) and skin to skin genital contact.

In May 2017, there were 1,098 new HIV antibody zero-positive individuals
reported to the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP). This was 48%
higher compared to the same period last year (741) and also the highest
recorded cases ever since 1984. Eighty-seven percent of those were
asymptomatic at the time of reporting.

Most (95%) were male. The median age was 28 years old (age range: 2 year - 67
years). More than half belong to the 25 - 34 year age group while 30% were
youth aged 15 - 24 years.

The regions with the most number of reported cases were: National Capital
Region (NCR) with 404 (37%) cases, Region 4A with 155 (14%) cases, Region 3
with 108 (10%) cases, Region 7 with 98 (9%) cases, and Region 11 with 60 (5%)
cases. An additional 273 cases (25%) came from the rest of the country.