The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) on Thursday said that despite the steady rise in modern contraceptive use in the country, about 14.1 percent of Filipinos still rely on traditional family planning methods such as withdrawal and the calendar method.
Mylin Mirasol Quiray, chief of the CPD Information Management and Communications Division, noted that the proportion of traditional-method users declined from 16.5 percent in 2022, but the remaining number is still significant and needs attention.
“Nagdi-decline naman iyong gumagamit ng traditional method tulad ng withdrawal at ng calendar, so noong 2022, 16.5 percent, tapos noong 2025 14.1 percent. Pero if we translate that into absolute numbers, iyong 14.1 percent na decrease ay malaki pa din kung titingnan talaga natin (The use of traditional methods like withdrawal and the calendar is also declining, so in 2022, it was 16.5 percent, and then in 2025, it was 14.1 percent. But if we translate that into absolute numbers, the 14.1 percent decrease is still significant when we really look at it) in absolute numbers),” Quiray said in a Bagong Pilipinas interview.
She said that, based on the National Demographic and Health Survey, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate increased from 25 percent in 1993 to 44.5 percent in 2025.
“So, noong 2022, 41.8 percent, and in 2025, 44.5 percent, ibig sabihin, mas marami nang Pilipino ang nagpaplano ng kanilang pamilya. But mayroon pa ring mga traditional method users tulad ng withdrawal at calendar method, so iyon pa rin ang gusto nating ma-address dahil alam naman natin na ang withdrawal at calendar ay hindi effective para sa ating mga kababayan (in 2022, 41.8 percent and in 2025, 44.5 percent, which means more Filipinos are planning their families. But there are still traditional method users like the withdrawal and calendar method, so that is still what we want to address because we know that withdrawal and calendar methods are not effective for our fellow countrymen),” she explained.
Quiray said the increase means more Filipinos are using family planning to decide when to have children and how to space pregnancies.
She, however, noted that myths and misconceptions about contraception remain a challenge, particularly in communities where people continue to depend on traditional methods.
Among the misconceptions she cited were claims that contraceptive pills cause cancer and that vasectomy is equivalent to castration.
She said the CPD is working with local governments to improve information dissemination and ensure that family planning services reach communities, particularly geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
Quiray said health workers, population officers and workers also remain crucial in providing accurate information directly to communities.
While family planning use has improved, Quiray said unmet needs remain among women with lower levels of education and those from poorer households.
She said the CPD continues to coordinate with local governments to reach these groups and provide both information and services.
Meanwhile, for young people, the agency is also directing them to malayaako.ph and its ‘Usap Tayo sa Family Planning’ Facebook page for proper reproductive health information.
The CPD will also launch Project Laya, a reproductive health initiative intended to help improve family planning and reproductive health services, noting that the agency's broader approach is to give Filipino men and women access to information so they can make informed decisions about whether and when to have children. (PNA)
