TACLOBAN CITY – The Commission on Population (POPCOM) is strengthening its ties with local government units in Eastern Visayas to carry out the objectives of the Philippine Population and Development Program (PPDP) in the region.
The PPDP focuses on responsible parenthood and family planning, adolescent health and development, population and development integration, and gender and development.
POPCOM Eastern Visayas regional director Elnora Pulma said on Tuesday they have been collaborating with local governments to empower individuals, families, and communities consistent with the goal of socio-economic transformation of the government.
“We always try to provide data to local governments especially on adolescent pregnancy. We help them realize that early pregnancy is a burden to the local government since they need more budget for basic services. In our advocacy, we always equate tax allotment to the quality of people living in their areas,” Pulma said in an interview.
PPDP, according to the official, is important to ensure that people in communities are productive and contribute to economic growth.
“Teenage pregnancy contributes to poverty. Young mothers and their families are the populations that need attention from the government, and it affects their tax allocation. They (government) must spend more for social services if the population is not productive,” Pulma added.
POPCOM regional technical services division chief Reyan Arinto said three provincial governments have already established population offices namely Northern Samar, Leyte, and Samar.
Among cities, those with population offices and officers are Borongan in Eastern Samar, Calbayog and Catbalogan in Samar, and Tacloban and Ormoc in Leyte.
There are only a few municipal governments in the region’s six provinces with local population offices.
“This is a challenge for us to advocate to local governments to appoint population officers since the population program is one of the devolved functions to local governments. We always provide technical assistance to them,” Arinto said.
In their advocacy, POPCOM highlights the critical role and importance of the PDPP within the context of strengthening the devolution policy resulting from the increased share of the local government from the national tax revenue due to the Supreme Court’s Mandanas-Garcia ruling.
(PNA)
