PopCom sees pandemic to result 2M babies  

WITH family planning efforts hampered, nearly two million Filipino women of reproductive age, or those between 15 to 49 years old, will get pregnant this year.

The Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) cited a recent projection from the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which estimated the potential unfavorable impact of Covid-19 on family planning efforts in the country.

The study revealed that there are about 3,099,000 with unmet need for family planning exacerbated by the pandemic, and an additional 590,000 might be added to the figure, bringing the total to 3,688,000 due to nationwide community quarantines.

Meanwhile, the contraceptive prevalence rate, or CPR, for modern family planning methods—or the percentage of women who use any method of modern contraception—is projected to decline by 2.2 percent, which means 400,000 women will drop out of the family planning program.

“Looking at these numbers, we foresee that because of the restrictions of movement as well as the reduction of access of women and men to family planning supplies, there will be at least one pregnancy for every three women with an unmet need for family planning,” PoPCom  Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez 3rd explained.

However, numerous measures for family planning are presently in-place, such as the home delivery of three months’ worth of supplies of family planning commodities such as pills and condoms for those who have enlisted to the family planning program.

Health centers are also open to accommodate women who wish to avail of injectables and subdermal implants to ensure the duration of the effect of the contraceptives.

PopCom also has active helplines and chat features which may be sourced through its “Usap  Tayo sa Family Planning” Facebook page (@UsapTayoSaFP).