Thursday, November 15, 2007 Ifugao guv attends repro health forum in India
IFUGAO Governor Teodoro Baguilat Jr., along with two other governors from Luzon, represented the country to a 3-day conference on reproductive and sexual health and rights sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund Association (UNFPA) at Hyderabad, India from October 29-31.
The 4th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights went with the theme, "Exploring New Frontiers in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights."
Baguilat was chosen as one of the participants in recognition of the province's performance against work plans, passage of provincial reproductive health code and functional Bemoc sites in Ifugao.
Baguilat is known to be an active advocate in the promotion of responsible parenthood and maternal and child health care programs.
The province, meanwhile, is one of the 10 provinces receiving support from the UNFPA's 6th Country Program from 2005-2009. The three pilot sites for this in Ifugao are the municipalities of Asipulo, Tinoc and Lagawe.
The program aims to improve the reproductive health status of the Filipino people through better population management and sustainable human development.
Family planning trainings and other health program in partnership with government agencies and other foreign partners are currently being implemented in the province, increasing the health awareness of the general populace.
The conference provided a venue for the various stakeholders to take stock of progress and share best practices.
Baguilat was one of the facilitators of the conference and was also tasked to report health updates specifically on reproductive health in the province.
The experience, he added, was fruitful as he was able to cull new ideas in the implementation of sexual and reproductive health programs for the province from other stakeholders who also reported their best practices in these programs.
The first Asia Pacific conference on reproductive health and sexual rights was held in Manila on February 2001 in which the UNFPA had been an active participant and sponsor. Succeeding conferences were subsequently held in Bangkok, Thailand on October 2003 and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 2005.-brenda grace bakakew.
