Guimaras has one of the top performing population programs in W. Visayas

The Province of Guimaras was recognized by the Commission on Population Regional Office VI as one of the provinces in Western Visayas to have an outstanding population program.

Guimaras was hailed for its outstanding performance in the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning (RP-FP) Program in 2020 and for its contribution to the goals and objectives of the Philippine Population Management Program in Western Visayas.

The province is among the Top 3 provinces in Region 6 with the highest number of new Family Planning (FP) acceptors generated under the provincial/highly urbanized cities (HUC) category.

It also has the most organized RPFP reporting system and commended for its 100% support in RPFP encoding and prompt report submission.

Shirly T. Gabutin, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, and Beneth Gabasa, Population Program Worker II of the Provincial Government, received the awards during the virtual awarding ceremony as part of the First Quarter Regional Population Management Conference for Panay and Guimaras on January 26-27, 2021 at SEDA HOTEL, Pison Avenue, Atria Park District, San Rafael, Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

POPCOM’s Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning Program (RP-FP) component deals with issues related to sexual and reproductive health, including fertility and family planning concerns.

It primarily aims to help couples realize their desired timing, spacing, and number of children in accordance with their socio-economic, emotional, and psychological capacity.

Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the local government units (LGUs) continue prioritizing their implementation of essential health services, particularly those centered on family planning to drive awareness and to heighten interest.

In compliance with the health and safety protocols, POPCOM Region VI conducted the said activity via face-to-face and online platform among provincial/city Population Officers of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Passi City, Roxas City, and Iloilo City.