Congress scraps P200-M budget for contraceptives

(Updated 7:10 p.m.) The Senate and House of Representatives have scrapped the P200-million government allocation for the purchase of contraceptives in the 2011 budget, Sen. Franklin Drilon said on Monday. Drilon, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said the bicameral committee adopted the Senate panel's proposal to reduce the Department of Health's (DOH) budget by P200 million. "It is the understanding of the Senate panel that this amount was intended for the purchase of contraceptives and that the remaining P680-million budget shall be used for family health, responsible parenting, and maternal health," he said in a text message. He said the bicameral report has been signed by both the Senate and House of Representatives and will be submitted to the Senate for ratification. In a separate interview, Senate Majority Floor Leader Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto said the budget cut will probably go to debt servicing or other alignments. Earlier, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said P400 million from the DOH's 2011 budget would be used to purchase birth control pills, injectables, condoms, and cycle beads. He said that P280 million of the P400-million budget for family planning would be used to buy contraceptive pills, P100 million for injectibles, and P8 million for condoms. He did not mention, however, how much would be spent for cycle beads, which are rings of colored beads that help a woman keep track of her fertile and non-fertile days. The DOH had a proposed budget of P32.62 billion for 2011. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had earlier said that they didn't want to approve the budget for the purchase of contraceptives because it might seem like they were in favor of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill. The Catholic Church has consistently opposed the use of artificial birth control methods like condoms and birth control pills, saying it only supports "natural" family planning methods for married couples. President Benigno Aquino III, however, said that the couples would be in the "best position to determine what is best for their family" and the methods that they can use. Since then, the Palace and the Catholic Church have been engaged in talks regarding the issue. The RH bill remains pending in Congress.- KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV