14 September 2005
Pangasinan to fill gap once USAID pulls out
LINGAYEN – The family planning program in Pangasinan will continue despite the announced pull out of commodity assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in two to three years.
Gov. Victor Agbayani however clarified that due to the shortage of funds, the provincial government can only provide the need for contraceptives of poor couples in the province. Pangasinan is second to Cebu in terms of population.
He told the Regional Development Council last Tuesday that the province will try to fill the gap to be left by the USAID which has been providing commodity assistance to the country’s family planning program since 1972.
USAID has announced that it is completely phasing out all its commodity donation to the country’s family planning program either in year 2007 or 2008.
The governor warned that if the local government units will not act fast, the pullout of commodity assistance of the USAID might leave the country’s population program in disarray, adding that for three long decades, the agency was supporting the Philippines in its family planning program.
He noted that the national government is not doing anything to rescue the country’s family planning program because its hands are tied, not only for lack of funds but also because of the strong opposition to the program by the Catholic church.
Statistics from the Provincial Population Office showed that over half of those who accessed family planning contraceptives from government health and family planning clinics were couples who can actually afford to buy these.
Gov. Victor Agbayani however clarified that due to the shortage of funds, the provincial government can only provide the need for contraceptives of poor couples in the province. Pangasinan is second to Cebu in terms of population.
He told the Regional Development Council last Tuesday that the province will try to fill the gap to be left by the USAID which has been providing commodity assistance to the country’s family planning program since 1972.
USAID has announced that it is completely phasing out all its commodity donation to the country’s family planning program either in year 2007 or 2008.
The governor warned that if the local government units will not act fast, the pullout of commodity assistance of the USAID might leave the country’s population program in disarray, adding that for three long decades, the agency was supporting the Philippines in its family planning program.
He noted that the national government is not doing anything to rescue the country’s family planning program because its hands are tied, not only for lack of funds but also because of the strong opposition to the program by the Catholic church.
Statistics from the Provincial Population Office showed that over half of those who accessed family planning contraceptives from government health and family planning clinics were couples who can actually afford to buy these.
