Draft Statement: (Not Yet Official) Save Lives: Increase Spending for Reproductive Health Care Including Family Planning

Save Lives: Increase Spending for Reproductive Health Care Including Family Planning

A joint statement of the University of the Philippines College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD) and the UP Center for Women's Studies (UPCWS)


Every day 11 Filipina women die from pregnancy and birth complications. . Every year 400,000 Filipinas suffer some form of illness or disability because of giving birth.

The majority of those who die or become ill from childbirth come from poor communities and families who can least afford to lose a mother or a sister or a wife. The health care burden to poor and middle income families of morbidities related to childbirth , can also be devastating.

And yet, we have the capacity to avoid most of the deaths and half of the morbidity related to childbirth. Health experts agree that delivery with a properly trained birth attendant, access to obstetric and new born care , and access to family planning services are effective and doable measures that will ensure better health outcomes for pregnant women and their families.

Of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the Philippines is likely to fail in meeting the goal of reducing maternal mortality rates by 2015. The reason is clear, the Arroyo administration has consistently neglected the services women need. This, despite compelling evidence that major sectors of our society (health, academic, business, labor) and the majority of our people accept the need for contraceptive services.

Today, we reiterate our call, echoed in the promises of the Philippine government and the policy pronouncements of President Benigno Aquino III, to ensure adequate funding for contraceptive supplies as a first step towards ensuring access to family planning services to all women.

Today, we reiterate that access to contraceptives within the framework of informed and free choice is a moral imperative guaranteed by international human rights standards and the Philippine Constitution as well as sentiments of the common citizenry.

With political will, we can yet achieve the health related MDGs, including the MDG on the goal of significantly reducing maternal mortality by 2015. Achieving this will definitely redound the attainment of other related MDGs on gender equaliy, women's empowerment and poverty reduction.

Beyond the political debates, the scientific data, international and local laws, the reality upon which an enlightened and moral policy on family planning must be based is that is saves the lives of women and their children.


September 30, 2010

Contact Persons:

Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, MD, PhD
Director
UPCWS

Amaryllis T. Torres
Dean CSWCD

INformal Settlers Seeking Relocation (From ABS-CBN News)

NHA: More informal settlers want relocation

MANILA, Philippines – More informal settlers in Metro Manila are availing of voluntary relocation, the National Housing Authority (NHA) said on Monday.

Around 67 families a day are now filing applications to be relocated to government housing projects, NHA community relations chief Socorro Salamat said.

She said that before the demolition of shanties in North Triangle, Quezon City, the NHA had been receiving only 50 applications a day.

Salamat said some families who had been considering relocation are now having second thoughts because the demolition project was suspended.

She praised the government’s relocation project and allayed fears raised by informal settlers.

Senate Edgardo Angara, meanwhile, said the upper house will look at the possibility of realigning around P6 billion in government funds for housing projects.

The amount is currently earmarked for various projects under the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Undersecretary Nestor Borromeo said the agency’s allotted budget is not enough to meet the public’s need.

He said the HUDCC only received P5.6 billion from the P11 billion budget that the agency asked for.

"What will be greatly affected is the program of the National Housing Authority," Borromeo said.

He added that lack of funds will prevent the NHA from relocating informal settlers and families living in danger zones.

He said the HUDCC may also fail from reaching its target of building 350,000 new homes. – Atom Araullo and Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News

North Triangle Demolition

Quick facts about the North Triangle project and demolition of Sept. 23

Ayala Land signed an agreement with the National Housing Authority to develop, at a cost of P22 billion, 29 hectares of the 256-hectare of the North Triangle area that is to be developed as the QC Central Business District, presumably to be pattermed after Ayala Business District in Makati..



But there are 6,000 families in the area. The residents have already held 4 dialogues with the NHA since they received the 30-day notice of demolition on May 2010 where they offered suggestions to the authorities. However NHA officials insist that they should resettle in Montalban, Rizal, which is more than 20 kilometers north..



The NHA offered the residents P1,000, 5 kilos of rice, 2 packs of instant noodles and 2 canned sardines if they would agree to be relocated to Montalban..



They are also being offered a 20-square meter house at the relocation site, worth supposedly P250,000 which are not free. On the second year, those who would be relocated would have to pay P200 monthly and P600 monthly from fifth year onwards.



The biggest problem of the 6,000 families is that they earn their livelihood near the area , and Montalban is more than 20 kilometers away. Aside from that, they complain that the facilities like water and power are not yet in place, and the area is prone to flooding.



Residents said they are not fighting to own the land but to get what is due and fair to them, which includes an on-site or in-city relocation.



Judge Maria Padilla of RTC 225 ordered a stop to the demolition mid afternoon yesterday, and today Aquino III stopped the demolition for the moment.



For more facts and figures, go this page:



http://www.arkibongbayan.org/2010/2010-09Sept24-NTriangle/demolition.htm

Conditional Cash Transfer - Unsustainable?

GOV’T CAUTIONED AGAINST CONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFERS: PROGRAM UNSUSTAINABLE, ADDS TO DEBT BURDEN


As allocations for poverty programs continue to be deliberated in the national budget for 2011, research group IBON cautions government on the conditional cash transfers program (CCTP), saying that the program is not sustainable and will add to the country’s debt burden.

The 2011 national budget has proposed a Php29.2-billion allocation for the CCTP, a program that distributes cash to indigent families with various conditions such as ensuring the children’s school attendance and immunization among others. The program is funded by loans, and with the latest US$400 million-loans (Php19 billion) from the Asian Development Bank, will mean an additional debt burden for Filipinos.

The program moreover is not sustainable; according to the group, when funding for the program runs out, Filipinos will be left jobless and poor as ever, especially with how present economic policies prevent the economy from creating jobs and incomes for the country’s growing population.

Even the United Nations (UN) has criticized current approaches to cutting poverty like the CCTP and has warned that these may be “misconceived” especially with how such programs separate poverty from broader processes of economic development. The UN has moreover estimated that these approaches to poverty may leave around 1 billion poor worldwide by 2015.

IBON stresses that the CCTP is a dole-out program which does not address the roots of poverty and only sugarcoats the implementation of the neoliberal policies that have caused deep unemployment and severe poverty in the country.

The group also notes that the program is prone to corruption, especially with its primary task being the distribution of cash down to the barangay level. Similar to other countries that implemented the CCTP, the program lacks a reliable monitoring mechanism ensuring that cash transfers are received by indigent families.

While giving out cash transfers to indigent families may be an option at certain times, this should not be at the core of government poverty programs. IBON stresses that basic economic reforms are needed to substantially address poverty. At present however, the CCTP seems to divert the public’s attention from the real causes of poverty and on how government continues to implement problematic economic policies that worsen the conditions of poor Filipinos. (end)


IBON Foundation, Inc. is an independent development institution established in 1978 that provides research, education, publications, information work and advocacy support on socioeconomic issues.

UNITY MARCH TODAY AS STEPS 4PM

Christmas Song by Sir Nilan

Hi guys:

Please view a song written by Sir Nilan. Below is the link or just copy paste it to your browser. Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wOt2BVCwgs

SW 122 Final Paper Guide

SW 122 FINAL REPORT GUIDE
I. introduction

A. National Situation – Facts and Figures related to your sector; Situation of the Philippines at present and how it affects your sector/ may include historical accounts if needed in your analysis
B. Local Situation – A Thorough description of the situation of the sector in the Philippines
1. Facts and Figures
2. Issues affecting the sector

C. Discussion on important concepts on the Sector (Mostly what you presented in class)

II. Analysis of the Situation of the Sector in General
A. Perspective to be used in analysis (Structural Functionalist; Conflict; Interactionist; Constructivist; Feminist; Post-Modern, etc)

B. Framework for Analysis – Specific Conceptual framework applicable to the issue you chose; It may include specific theories that are sector specific (e.g. theories or frameworks on children)

C. Discussion on how your issues may be viewed from the chosen perspectives and theories.

III. CASE PRESENTATION (Thorough Narrative of the Case explained in your own words – exact copies of the case may be attached in the annexes)

IV. INTERPRETATION & ANALYSIS OF THE CASE (Use your perspective and theories)

A. How the issue affects the situation of the marginalized sector
B. Identification of the gaps that need to be addressed by social welfare
C. Discussion of the role of Social Workers, Community Development, and Public Administrators in addressing the gaps

D. A Survey of the Existing Agencies (GO, NGO, PO, IO), Programs and Policies already extending services and support to the sector in matrix form, showing the basic thrust of the agency, a short description of the program, policy or project
E. Identifying further the gaps or areas not addressed by the existing structures (Mostly from the workshop- sharing done in class)

V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

VII. ANNEXES AND ATTACHMENTS [Tables; copies of news articles; copies of policies; other details of the agencies, programs and policies;

VIII. Softcopy of the Report and Powerpoint presentation, videos and other materials you wish to submit