Despite the pandemic, the Commission on Population and Development-Region VI in partnership with the local population offices shall continue to provide basic information on responsible parenthood and family planning (RPFP) and referral to service facilities. This will be conducted in partnership with the Barangay Service Point Officers (BSPOs) through the bahay-bahay or house to house strategy.
While most of the families are on home quarantine, it is projected that there will be 2 million unplanned births in 2021 because of no or limited access to basic reproductive health services. Moreover, teen pregnancy and domestic violence may likewise surge if people don’t know where to access preventive services. Policy issuances from DILG, DOH and POPCOM aim to ensure that health-related information and services will not be hampered even in this time of the COVID 19 pandemic.
“There is a need to sustain the conduct of demand generation activities ensuring the adherence to the minimum health protocol standards. There is no better way to reach the couples and individuals but through the frontliners for the RPFP Program at the local government units: the population and health workers and other community volunteers,” explains POPCOM Regional Director Harold Alfred P. Marshall.
As an alternative strategy of the RPFP Program, POPCOM-Region VI capacitated selected BSPOs from the Provinces of Aklan, Antique, and Iloilo including Passi City on how to conduct the bahay-bahay activity. They (BSPOs) were reoriented on the basic concepts of responsible parenthood and family planning and on how to convince couples and individuals with unmet need for modern family planning to be an FP user.
Mayor Raul Banias of Concepcion, Iloilo, during the capacity-building activity made mention that family planning is a crucial basic service that needs to be addressed and be brought closer to the people especially during this time of pandemic.
The BSPOs shall visit households where there are women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years old) especially those with unmet needs for modern family planning. They will be profiled, given basic information, and if they express to use a method, the BSPO shall refer them to the health service facilities.
“We know it’s quite risky, but as frontliners of the population program, we are here committed to serve,” said Ms. Yolanda Antona, BSPO of San Jose de Buenavista, Antique.
The BSPOs were provided with IEC materials to be used during the bahay-bahay and basic protective supplies like face masks, alcohol, and sanitizers. Strict compliance to the minimum health protocols are observed as discussed during their capacity building activities. #POPCOMVI
