This is a good day!!! A news article in the lower front page area of the Philippine Daily Inquirer made my day... and every RH/Pop advocate out there...
Article reads: Survey: 9 out of 10 pinoys support birth control. The article speaks about the survey conducted by Pulse Asia, as commissioned by one of the country's lead NGO in RH/PopDev advocacy, PLCPD - Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development. The survey speaks for itself. Read on...
MANILA, Philippines -- Nine out of 10 Filipinos want publicly funded birth control despite strong opposition from the influential Roman Catholic Church, an independent survey showed yesterday.
Article reads: Survey: 9 out of 10 pinoys support birth control. The article speaks about the survey conducted by Pulse Asia, as commissioned by one of the country's lead NGO in RH/PopDev advocacy, PLCPD - Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development. The survey speaks for itself. Read on...
MANILA, Philippines -- Nine out of 10 Filipinos want publicly funded birth control despite strong opposition from the influential Roman Catholic Church, an independent survey showed yesterday.
The Pulse Asia survey of 1,800 adults found 89 percent wanted the government to pay for family planning measures including medication, intra-uterine devices, condoms, ligation and vasectomies.
Almost all Filipinos surveyed (92 percent) described family planning as important, with 5 percent undecided and only 2 percent saying it was unimportant.
Family planning has been a touchy issue among candidates. Leaders of the Catholic Church, the religion of 81 percent of the population, condemn birth control. As of 2000, there were over 60 million Roman Catholics in the country. The country’s population is projected to hit 88.7 million this year, according to data from the National Statistics Office.
According to the survey, 76 percent said candidates in midterm elections next month should address family planning concerns, with 75 percent pledging to support those willing to fund such measures. The March 2007 Ulat ng Bayan Survey on Family Planning was carried out between Feb. 28 and March 5.
The Pulse Asia survey asked how important it was for a candidate in this year’s election to include family planning in his/her plan of action and found that 74 percent of respondents in Metro Manila said it was “important.” The rest of Luzon—some 83 percent—also said it was important, as did 72 percent in Mindanao and 71 percent in the Visayas.
Seventy-seven percent in class D, 75 percent in class E and 73 percent in classes ABC also said it was important for a candidate to include the issue in his/her platform. Meanwhile, 74 percent in Metro Manila, 79 percent in the rest of Luzon, 73 percent in Mindanao and 67 percent in Visayas said that candidates who are in favor of allocating budget for family planning “should be supported.”
Seventy-seven percent in class E, 75 percent in class D and 69 percent in classes ABC also said that they would support candidates who favored such move. On the other hand, the belief in the importance of family planning was shared across all areas (96 percent in the rest of Luzon, 92 percent in Metro Manila and in Visayas and 87 percent in Mindanao), as well as across socioeconomic classes ABC (92 percent), D (93 percent) and E (92 percent).
Over 8 in 10 Filipinos across all areas also said that government funding for modern methods of family planning is important—93 percent in the balance of Luzon, 88 percent in the capital, 87 percent in Visayas and 84 percent in Mindanao.
Ninety percent in class E, 89 percent in class D and 87 percent in classes ABC also shared this sentiment.
Kate Pedroso, Inquirer Research, Agence France-Presse
