Philippine Star
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
In celebration of Natural Family Planning Month, the Population Commission-7 is encouraging couples all over Central, Western and Eastern Visayas to try natural family planning.
Natural family planning is a method in which mothers control reproduction through observing their bodies and acquiring fertility awareness.
Fertility awareness means being aware of the period when a woman is fertile and can become pregnant after having sexual intercourse.
Once a woman has acquired fertility awareness, she can abstain from having sex during her fertility period if she does not want to get pregnant.
PopCom regional director Leo Rama said yesterday during the Association of Government Information Officers Forum, that their advocacy is designed to cater the assumed 85 percent of the 90 million Catholic couples in the Philippines who prefer not to use artificial birth control as it is against their beliefs.
Rama said that while the Church may be against the use of pills, condoms and other modern birth controls, it is supporting the concept of natural family planning. In fact he said in some areas of their operation parish representatives are part of the team.
The natural method is 98 percent effective, he said.
Since the launching of “Responsible Parenting Movement – Natural Family Planning” in 2007, PopCom has already trained 1,900 couples in Bohol, Negros Oriental, Tagbilaran and Cebu Province.
These couples will be service providers in their different communities and will train and educate fellow couples about responsible parenting through the use of the natural family planning method.
Rama believes that population growth plays a significant role in the economic shortage and inflation the country is experiencing today. He explained that as population grows, demand increases, resulting to a decrease in supply and eventual increase in prices.
“We need to respond to this,” he said.
In Cebu City, however, Rama said the population growth is low because of the high acceptance rate of family planning. He attributed this to enough education among couples living in the city. - Jessica Ann Pareja, UP intern/BRP