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EU to infuse €35M to support PHL’s health system reforms


The European Union on Friday said it will infuse some 35 million euros to the Philippine government to give low-income Filipinos free access to contraceptives. The EU made this announcement as a way of prodding the Philippines to adopt a reproductive health policy, a measure strongly opposed by the influential Roman Catholic Church. Nicholas Taylor, head of operations of the EU delegation office in Manila, said in a news conference Friday that slower population growth would improve health and reduce poverty in Philippines. “We have always been very clear in supporting reproductive health rights," Taylor said. “It is important for governments to make family planning available… It will be much more effectively done if the reproductive health bill is passed because that gives a legal framework for driving it much more effectively," he added. Free contraceptives The EU said it is right to provide free contraceptives to poor families in rural communities. “Making them pay for pills is silly," Taylor said. He said most poor communities in the country are denied of access to free contraceptives. At present, most areas are paying P5 for some birth control paraphernalia. “We should ensure that the delivery of service happens… We should also make sure that silly things like unnecessary charges are not imposed on the poor," according to Taylor. Unlike the Philippines, other countries in Southeast Asia are “much more advanced in addressing population growth," said Jöern Dosch, head of EU’s cooperation program evaluation team to the Philippines. “It needs to be addressed at some point," Dosch pointed out. The Philippine population stands at nearly 100 million, while its projected birth rate for 2011 stands at 25.34 births per 1,000 population. Reproductive Health bill According to Taylor, the government can promote family planning better “if the Reproductive Health bill is passed." The bill is now pending for approval in the Lower House but has also triggered some criticism, mostly on religious or moral grounds. Many critics, mostly Catholics, are presently blocking efforts to enact any law that would promote free public access to sex education and contraception. Around 80 percent of Filipinos are Catholic. The EU — an economic and political union of 27 member states mostly in Europe — pointed out that although it cannot interfere in legislation in the Philippines, it “will support civil society groups" pushing for the bill’s passage. The health sector has become the union’s primary focus of concern in the Philippines. Since 2006, the total amount of EU grants for the country’s healthcare has already reached 45 million euros. The infusion of funds to the Philippine government only means that the EU is “committed to contribute" to the country’s attainment of the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations. For its part, the Philippines has long been committed to reduce maternal and child mortality and give Filipinos an effective access to reproductive health services. President Benigno Aquino III had indicated support for the bill, raising hopes it could be passed. The measure was not however included on a list of priority bills submitted by Malacañang to Congress.—With Reuters report, JE/JV, GMA News

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