QC launches information drive on responsible parenthood

The Quezon City government, in a bid to address the overpopulation problem, has launched a massive information drive in the city’s 142 barangays to promote the importance of responsible parenthood among couples and increase awareness in birth control programs.

Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. directed the city health department to undertake the massive education and information campaign in the wake of the gradual phaseout of the United States Aid for International Development (USAID) assistance to the city’s reproductive health program.

"The city government has also set aside funds for family planning material and kits which are widely distributed to the city health centers," he said.

Belmonte stressed that responsible parenthood is the key to the success of the family planning program in certain localities and that the role of the local government is to inform couples on alternatives in planning their families.

"What the city government is doing right now is to make sure that assistance is provided to the city so the reproductive health program can effectively address the overpopulation in Quezon City. I believe that even the best development initiatives falters if the number of beneficiaries continue to grow exponentially," the mayor said.

Based on the 2000 census of the National Statistics Office, Quezon City has a total population of 2.17 million. The figure represents the highest in the country and accounts for 22 percent of the Metro Manila population.

By 2005, the population of the city is expected to reach the 2.39 million mark and could reach 2.62 million if the present rate continues.

Since Belmonte assumed office in July 2001, the city government has instituted a comprehensive health care program to help improve the welfare of residents, particularly in the depressed areas.

For each child, the city government offers free comprehensive child care until he or she reaches the age of five. This includes immunization, daily supplemental feeding for the malnourished and provision of vitamin supplements and dental services.

As a result the city government noted an increase in the number of fully immunized children by 7,000 in 2003 to cover 64,900 children and a decrease in the number of malnourished children from 11,294 to 9,122 in 2002.

The city government has also upgraded all city health center facilities, providing patients with much needed medicine and personnel. From 2002 to mid-2004, the city government has allotted P63 million for the construction and repair of health centers.