Former Rep. Edcel C. Lagman

The birth of the 100 millionth Filipino baby again puts in focus the critical immediacy of fully implementing the reproductive health law as an increasing population imperils finite resources and strains limited budgets.

This was stressed by former Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, the principal author of the controversial measure which took over 13 years to enact and which was recently declared constitutional by the Supreme Court.

It is symbolic that baby girl Chonalyn was born at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital which has long been reputed to be a “baby factory” where inordinately numerous deliveries are recorded daily, Lagman added.

The former Albay solon said that the following important provisions of the RH Law, among others, must be implemented with reasonable alacrity:

1.            Government extension and grant of reproductive health care, services and commodities to the marginalized sectors who are willing acceptors of RH and family planning programs.

2.            The procurement by the Department of Health (DOH) of medically-safe, legal, effective and non-abortifacient contraceptives and devices for distribution to the poor and to the local government units (LGUs).

3.            The retraining of barangay health workers so that they could competently assist in the implementation of the RH Law.

4.            The immediate formulation of an RH curriculum by the Department of Education (DepEd) for enrolled adolescent pupils and students which may be adopted by private schools so that RH good practices and beneficent results can be instilled early among the young.

5.            Extensive training of teachers who will handle reproductive health classes for adolescents in the coming school years.

6.            Adequate outlays for RH for inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to be submitted to the Congress by the President after the SONA.

7.            Meaningful and responsive appropriations by the Congress starting 2015 to fully implement the RH Law.