Letter to the Editor: Philippine Daily Inquirer

17 September 2004

Letter to the Editor
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Dear Editor,

I thank Dr Sylvia Estrada-Claudio for her letter to this newspaper printed in last Tuesday’s issue entitled "Secretary Dayrit’s mistaken views." Her letter raised a number of issues that I am more than willing to discuss.

First of all, it has never, at any time been my job or the job of the Department of Health to buy contraceptives. It would be recalled that all contraceptive supplies that, in the past, were distributed free-of-charge through the government healthcare system were donated to the Philippines by foreign governments or organizations. After many years of this, it became the tendency of many Filipinos to equate government’s role in attending to maternal and child health and responsible parenthood with the distribution of contraceptives. The use of contraceptives is, in fact, only one of the available approaches employed in only one of the many essential elements of maternal and child health and responsible parenthood. It does not spell out the totality of the DOH’s work in this area.

Admittedly, the focus of population management efforts by the Commission on Population in the 1970s was, indeed, the promotion and distribution of contraceptives. However, the PopCom has, since that time, evolved into a more enlightened agency that addresses myriad other population issues within its mandate such as migration, human development, population and environment, human settlements, etc., even as it continues to acknowledge the importance of contraceptive distribution. Rather than working in a small box, the present-day PopCom is a coordinative agency that works within a broad matrix of capabilities and services resident in various government agencies and units.

While we have all become accustomed to the longstanding situation in which donated contraceptives were widely distributed free-of-charge, this may not necessarily have been the best approach for the nation to take in addressing the needs of the people. Statistics will show that the prevalence of contraceptive use has long since leveled off, and there is really no massive clamor among the Filipino people to have more and more free contraceptives. The observation that hormonal preparations were used for gardening, and that stocks of unwanted contraceptives just took up space in storerooms - are not just urban legends, but facts. Thus, financial resources allotted by foreign donors to assist the Philippine Government’s programs could actually be better spent in other pursuits than purchasing contraceptives.These realizations led to the Contraceptive Self Reliance initiative that is presently being operationalized in various sectors of government and partner agencies. The term "self-reliance" is not indicative of a need for the National Government to begin purchasing its own supplies (which it never has), but of the end-users and the local health infrastructure outgrowing their dependence on the donors of these contraceptives, whether coursed through the National Government, or otherwise.It is also of value to demystify our perceptions about the role of contraceptives in women’s health, women’s rights, and healthy families. To equate access to contraceptives with the reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality is simplistic. Equally flawed is the much-publicized argument that women are accorded the rights they deserve when they are made to use contraceptives. Majority of women who use these products are not wholly aware of the many effects they have on their health and lives, and of the other approaches that are available to them. Our government is now intent on providing much more than just the available options that have been there in the past, but also ensuring adequate and honest information on the various modalities or approaches families can choose to ensure their health and well-being. It is our belief that women’s rights, reproductive rights, and the right to health could only be realized within an environment of informed choice. It is in this framework and with an outlook that respects human life that Filipino families shall be able to rationally space births and practice responsible parenthood.

These are principles which were articulated by our President, and are now espoused by the Department of Health and by PopCom. I am hopeful that our many partners in health who are in accord with these principles soon succeed in looking beyond the old trappings and popular slogans that only divide us, and decide, instead, to pull in the same direction as government. Only thus shall the aspirations we nurture for our country and its people be realized in the near future.

Very truly yours,

Sgd. Manuel M. Dayrit, M.D. MSc.
Secretary