Thursday, September 20, 2007 Province passes repro health ordinance By Rimaliza Opiña
EVEN A highly conservative and evangelized community like Ifugao admits there has to be a law that would address issues confronting women and children.
In particular is the need to address maternal health care, of which the province was identified as having an "insufficient" means of pre-natal care despite a study revealing that majority of pregnant women in the province avail of these service in health centers.
The Philippine Non-Government Organization Council (PNGOC), an advocate of reproductive health, said a University of the Philippines study showed that pre-natal care in the province, particularly in the municipalities of Asipulo and Tinoc, is limited to blood pressure tests. As such, complications arising from pregnancy are not immediately addressed.
PNGOC spokesperson Chi Vallido said infant deaths are a common consequence of deficient pre-natal care. “This would have been avoided if there is sufficient government support," she said.
In response, the Ifugao Provincial Government recently passed its reproductive health (RH) ordinance, which addresses among others maternal and child health care, reproductive health among adolescents, gender and development, family planning methods, violence against women and children and sex education.
The ordinance's passage would also address the imminent pullout of the distribution of free contraceptives by the United Nations next year.
"As a poor province, we have to prepare for the pullout," said Board Member Joseph Odan, the ordinance's proponent.
The ordinance also addresses the reported prostitution in the province.
From the reported P30 paid to sex workers in the past, they are now reportedly paid P1,000 to P1,200, said Joyce Niwane, provincial social welfare officer.
Niwane said karaoke bars are used as prostitution fronts while sex workers come from the neighboring province of Nueva Vizcaya, Manila and even as far as the Visayas.
Ifugao Governor Teddy Baguilat Jr. said reports on violence against women and children, child sex abuse and incest are not indicative of the kind of culture the Ifugaos have but stressed an RH ordinance could address these issues.
Salient points of the ordinance include the creation of an RH council headed by the governor, creation of popshops in municipal health centers which would sell contraceptives, technical assistance to health workers, distribution of information and education materials and trainings on vasectomy and ligation in consonance with the Philippine standards on family planning clinical guidelines.
