DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — Health officials here highlighted the critical role of family planning in ensuring the well-being of families as a major step in responsible parenthood.
In a Kapihan sa PIA forum, Provincial Health Office (PHO) family planning program coordinator Sarah Maputi said that planning a family is important for the health of the mother and her children, as well as the family’s economic situation.
Maputi said PHO is actively promoting family planning education to the community as well as in schools, and providing commodities for free depending on the supply availability.
Various methods and services are accessible, from pills and implants to more permanent solutions like Bilateral Tubal Ligation (BTL) and vasectomy, she added.
The methods delay pregnancy and for birth spacing or limiting the number of births in the family.
Other commodities available at the PHO include condoms and birth control pills.
Maputi explained that the PHO is committed to training local health workers, ensuring that they are equipped to educate and assist families with their chosen methods.
“We train down to the LGUs, all the nurses and midwives. Kabalo jud na sila tanan sa mga methods and they can perform a procedure or all kinds of methods to give the client,” said Maputi.
(All the nurses and midwives are well-trained on the various methods and are capable of providing the necessary procedures based on the client’s needs.)
Annalyn Tuyogan, 37, a mother of five from Guihulngan City, shared how difficult it has been to have a quite number of children.
“Naa naman koy lima ka anak, unya akong bana dili naman ganahan manganak ko usab kay daghan na kaayo ba unya maglisod na mi ug pa eskuyla,” said Annalyn.
(I already have five children, and my husband doesn’t want more because we already have too many and we struggle to send them to school.)
For Tuyogan, family planning methods have offered her some relief, allowing her to better manage her family’s needs.
“Nalipay pud ko nga naa puy mga mama nga pariha nako nga ganahan mo take sa pills kay dili biya pud lalim nga daghan kag anak mao importante jud mag-control,” she added.
(I’m glad that other mothers like me want to use these methods because it’s really not easy to have many children, so it’s important to control it.)
In the same forum, Remeter Limbo of the Dumaguete City Population Office said her office has been holding advocacy activities on family planning especially among the youth groups.
Limbo said they also go around the barangays conducting awareness activities on Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning programs.
“Amo gyung gina introduce ang family planning methods para pud ma encourage ang mga mama nga mo undergo sil or mo gamit jud sila ug family planning methods,” Remeter said.
(We are introducing family planning methods to encourage mothers to use them.) (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental with reports from April Villagonzalo, SU Intern)
