AN OFFICIAL of the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) said there will be a better society if there is "responsible parenting."
During the Pampanga Press Club's Talk Widus forum at Widus Hotel and Casino Wednesday, April 3, Vicky Barbea B. dela Torre, assistant regional director of Popcom Central Luzon, stressed that responsible parenthood is the moral value of the agency's program.
"Yung ating mga [tinatawag] na children in conflict with law or CICL, if we will really look at it, it all boils down to being responsible parents," Dela Torre.
Before a couple gets married, they will undergo a pre-marriage counselling and orientation regarding their respective responsibilities, according to the Popcom official.
"Bago pa lang ikasal, sinasabihan mo na heto yung magiging responsbilidad mo sa magiging asawa at anak mo (Before marriage, they are told that this will be their responsibility to the spouse and children). We talk about responsible parenthood already," Dela Torre said.
"Kung lahat ng magulang responsible (If all parents are responsible), I don’t think we will have issues on crimes like snatching, even rape, even domestic violence because it all boils down to being responsible parents," she added.
Rape and other cases of sexual and domestic violence start from the perspective of gender equality, Dela Torre said.
"If you as a man do not respect your wife or your children, then you will say pag-aari kita ako yung ama ako yung lalake dito maaari kitang sipingan kahit ayaw mo (I own you since I am your father and I am the man here so I could be beside you if you don’t like)," she added.
Responsible Parenthood, as defined in the Directional Plan of Popcom, is the will and ability of parents to respond to the needs and aspirations of the family and children.
It is a shared responsibility of the husband and wide to determine and achieve the desired number, spacing, and timing of their children according to their own family life aspirations, taking into account psychological preparedness, health status,
socio-cultural and economic concerns.
Every member of society should observe the agency's program on population, Dela Torre said.
"It is in the individual couples' decisions that will affect our economic growth. Yung mga decision po ninyo na magkaroon ng tamang bilang ng anak at kanilang mga pangangailangan will definitely affect ang magiging output natin sa ating society (Your decisions to have the right number of children will definitely affect our output in society)," she added.