13 Filipino staffers seek ouster of UN’s Manila chief

Previous articles on this issue have been written. I intended to blog about it but sort of forgot due to many other articles directly related to RH/PopDev advocacy that came up. However, surfing the net awhile ago, I came across this breaking news and decided to post it immediately, and share my thoughts on the matter through this blog.

here's an excerpt:

Exec accused of oppressive behaviour

by Veronica Uy, Inquirer.Net

Last updated 08:58pm (Mla time) 07/30/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- At least 13 Filipino staffers of the United Nations office here, including two who have already left the office, are seeking the ouster of the office’s chief, Nileema Noble, for her allegedly “autocratic and oppressive behavior.”

In a letter to Kemal Dervis, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York, staffers Mary Gemme Montebon, Jennifer Navarro, Amelia D. Supetran, Emmanuel E. Buendia, Morito G. Francisco, Imee F. Manal, Clarissa Arida, Roberto V. Carandang, Anna L. Senga, Jay-Ann Arandia, and Elcid C. Pangilinan, and former staff workers Frances M. Solinap and Francis Gertrud R. Mercado, also asked that Nileema be punished for “verbal and physical harassment,” “abuse of authority,” and “violation of the rights” of the staffers, particularly to effective remedy and due process.

A copy of the 11-page letter dated July 23 this year was obtained by
INQUIRER.net.

Read the full article by clicking the title of this post or here.

First of all, I admire the courage of those staff in coming forward and bringing their grievances out into the open. From the looks of it, it can be clearly inferred that their decision took a lot of guts as it meant going against a person who belongs to an institution so big and influential. It is in this note that I find this whole thing alarming and quite ironic. Having the chance to work with one of its agencies, the UNFPA, I take pride in the fact that respect for "human rights" served as cornerstone of the whole program. In addition, RH advocates anchor the strength of the advocacy using the rights-based approach. That was the guiding force in all these work.

In this case, the essence of the complaint is anchored on the violation of the staff's basic human rights. In UN's official website, http://www.un.org/ , this is written:

With its standards-setting work nearly complete, the UN is shifting the emphasis of its human rights efforts to the implementation of human rights laws. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, who coordinates UN human rights activities, works with governments to improve their observance of human rights, seeks to prevent violations, and works closely with the UN human rights mechanisms. The UN Commission on Human Rights, an intergovernmental body, holds public meetings to review the human rights performance of States, to adopt new standards and to promote human rights around the world. The Commission also appoints independent experts — "special rapporteurs" — to report on specific human rights abuses or to examine the human rights situation in specific countries.

What do you do then, when the person representing such institution violates the very principles it is supposed to uphold and promote? Every person has a right to do as he/she pleases so long as he/she does not step into the rights of others. This is basic.

In situations such as this, the very existence of UN could be undermined and challenged, and that is dangerous, if not outrightly disgusting. It is sad and frustrating that these UN staff, our fellow Filipinos working to protect and foster the rights of others, did so in a manner and working environment that painstakingly denied and prevented them to enjoy its exercise.

Under the law, we have the concept of natural and juridical persons. This is so in relation to acquiring capacity to do business, engage in transactions and enter into contracts. This likewise determines one's rights and obligations. The concept of natural persons is self-explanatory whereas juridical persons or personality is that which is vested in corporations and legitimate organizations. However, it bears stressing that although these institutions have personalities separate and distinct from the individuals running them, the individual/s behind these orgs/institutions provide their "faces". The impressions on these organizations are derived from the way the individuals behind them work and conduct themselves.

In addition, experience has taught me that people listen to people, more than the institution itself. And so the credibility of these organizations rests upon the people representing them. The Supreme Court, for all its standards has not always been looked up to, as its supremacy has been respected and given high regard depending on the justices representing it. This is the reason why an issue decided by the Supreme Court before (note: SC decisions become part of the law of the land) could be, in a new case involving similar circumstances, overturned and thus form a new jurisprudence, which could again be overturned in the future depending on the "wisdom" of the justices by that time.

In conclusion, an issue such as this requires vigilance as it signifies safeguarding and protecting the rights which the UN System itself works hard for to be upheld in the many countries they work with. I commend the media who have taken time to write and publish the story. Having the media as partners in making things happen and uncovering the truth is a notion well received. The various UN Agencies in the country have been significantly playing roles in pushing forward for our development. Needless to state, they have worthy tasks to pursue and we need their assistance. Said UN Official is just one among the many UN Officials here. And most of them have truly and tirelessly worked hard to uplift the quality of lives of Filipinos. Hopefully, this will be resolved with justice in all fronts being served.

Thus it has been said :

"Of all the lessons history teaches, this one is the plainest: the person who tries to achieve ends through force is always unscrupulous and is always cruel. We should remember this in an age where morality seems to be disappearing and is being replaced by politics." -- Eustace Percy

Population Growth Straining Resources

2.36% expansion deemed ‘explosive’

by REINIR PADUA / Malaya, 27 July 2007


THE National Statistics Office yesterday said the population growth rate of 2.36 percent could be considered as "explosive" for a small country like the Philippines.

This growth rate during the period from 1995 to 2000 was based on the last population census in 2000 which placed the population at 76.5 million as of May 1, 2000.

According to the NSO projection based on the 2000 census, the population will grow to 88.7 million this year.

The NSO made the statement at the launching of the population census to be undertaken in August.

The 2007 census is targeted for release in February next year.

NSO administrator Carmelita Ericta said if the 2007 census report will show the same growth rate, "the government needs to step up efforts to support the population."

Dr. Socorro Abejo, officer-in-charge of NSO’s Household Statistics Department, said that based on a "demographic point of view," the support given by the government cannot cope with population growth.

"If the government’s ability to support the population does not cope with population growth, the economic conditions of the families will be affected," she said.

She noted that neighboring countries like Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand have "much lower population growth rates," or below 2 percent.

With a budget of P1.6 billion, this year’s census will involve 37,000 NSO-trained census takers, more than 7,000 team supervisors and almost 2,000 census area supervisors.

Ericta said the census includes not just demographic characteristics but also data on socio-economic conditions like education and occupation of residents, on housing and even temporary relocation sites, and on barangays.

She said data gathering will be done through interviews or self-administered questionnaires.

Ericta said updated information on the size of the population will give government planners, policy makers and administrator data on which to base their social and economic development plans and programs.

She said it also serves as for basis for Internal Revenue Allotment for the local government units; apportionment of congressional seats for the legislative branch; creation of new LGUs; and upgrading of an LGU.

It is also being used by businesses and industries in feasibility studies for existing and planned products and services.

Another related article: CENSUS HELPS GOVERNMENT ALLOCATE RESOURCES AND REVENUES was published in Malaya. Click the link to read full report.

The situation in CAR, SONA, MDG etc. etc.

The past week, articles by media advocates have been written re: the poverty situation in the CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region) areas. An earlier report spoke of prevailing "hunger and malnutrition" in Desiree Caluza's article whereas Vincent Cabreza's article reported the dissenting opinion of a certain Malacañang official.

Should there really be varying standards for "hunger and malnutrition"? When did hunger and malnutrition become a relative-term? I know that in Life, things are not always black and white especially where culture, religion and tradition is a consideration, but when you talk about existence of hunger and determine malnutrition, science intervenes and lines can clearly be drawn. HELLO! It's either people are hungry and suffering from malnutrition or not! It is that simple really.

When will this government deal with the country's concerns staring them up front? No amount of ADS and Publicity Gimmicks will fix the poverty situation in the country. Not even a "strongly delivered" SONA will appease things. We've been in "denial" for too long. In Psychology, that is the first stage of grief. Despite GMA's latest declarations that various projects are already completed or are in various stages of development in the "Super Regions", as blue prints for building our future, the country's present socio-economic situation is STILL something to grieve about. These developments are hardly felt by the masses with prices of commodities continuously rising. As such, people have been "angry" (second stage...). On the other hand, politicians have "bargained" (third stage...) here and there in the recently concluded elections. More importantly, most of us have been "depressed" (fourth stage...) with all the empty promises made. It is high time that the government get past the first stage and move on to the "acceptance" phase, the final stage as well, so that programs and projects relevant and directly addressing these concerns will be formulated and implemented. Instead of engaging in band-aid initiatives and meaningless rhetorics, concrete efforts that are sustainable should be in place in areas where there is extreme poverty and hunger.

In an article posted in the Official Website of the Republic of the Philippines, a list of urgent bills that PGMA wants this 14th Congress to approve was laid down. From experience, these are the bills prioritized in the Congress' order of business during their sessions. All other bills, even if pending for years and years ago like the RH/PopDev bill, will have to take the backseat as they are not certified by the president as "urgent", by her own definition. Except for the cheaper medicines bill, a cursory perusal of these bills revealed that none of them directly answer the needs of Juan Dela Cruz or somewhat help alleviate his quality of life.

Until the government accepts the fact that we are getting too many with too little to go by (read as: more demand, less supply), hunger will continue to exist, not only in CAR but in all parts of the country, children and adults alike will be malnourished, women will continue to die due to pregnancy-related causes, various diseases and illnesses will plague the country, our natural resources will continue to dwindle, and the "super regions" will turn out to be a blue print for a construction that will eventually crash because of weak foundations.

As UN Sec. Gen Kofi Annan said, "The Millennium Development Goals, particularly the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, cannot be achieved if questions of population and reproductive health are not squarely addressed. And that means stronger efforts to promote women's rights, and greater investment in education and health, including reproductive health and family planning".

The media shape us into the people we are

This essay won one of the second prizes in the English essay contest sponsored by the International Herald Tribune/ The Asahi Shimbun, awarded last July 9. There were 670 essays submitted.

Editor’s note: Essayist Katrina Nessa Abad, an English major at the University of the Philippines Diliman, is currently enrolled in a cross-exchange student program with Nagasaki University, Japan.

---

As a member of this fast-paced generation, I know that I am highly dependent on the media for mostly everything I love to do. I am just an average person with simple needs, but even so, the media has become such a big part of my life.

One of the usual ways I use the media is to learn new things. I read the newspapers every day to keep myself updated on news and current events. I am a foreign student living in Japan, so it is really handy for me that one of my country’s leading newspapers has an online edition that I can access every day.

I know it is important that I keep abreast of the daily dramas unfolding in the Philippines—a beautiful, dynamic, but volatile country inhabited by highly emotional people. I also like to read international newspapers and magazines, especially because these have special features on topics ranging from science to culture and the arts, to the weirdest or coolest stuff that’s probably not useful to remember but fun to file away in my brain.

Apart from information and entertainment, I also read newspapers and magazines because it helps me to hone my skills. I do not just learn new ideas; I also learn new words, enabling me to expand my vocabulary. But more importantly, I think that reading newspapers, in particular, helps me to improve my critical thinking skills. I consciously try to practice contextualizing and objectifying what was reported in the papers to help me formulate or reformulate my analyses and make sense of what is happening in the world around me.

Every day, too, I use the media as my source of entertainment. I love to read books, watch movies and listen to the radio. That’s probably normal for a lot of other people, but I recall these now with fond memories of my parents back home. I remember that for the longest time, my father refused to have more than one television set in the house because he wanted the entire family to enjoy watching shows together. And my mother, who is a librarian, raised my brother, my sister and me to read like there was no tomorrow.

She started us off with those hardbound children’s encyclopedias, and then afterward she subscribed to magazines in our names (getting mail at the age of 10 was so cool). I remember that regular visits to the local bookstore felt like such a special treat in those days.

She just now finished sewing a cloth “book” for her first grandchild; she says we don’t remember, but that she did the same for us kids when we were babies so that we could freely play with pages that would not tear.

Today, with the Internet as a more advanced form of the media, I can play around with lots of things and also express myself. For example, I can both watch and upload videos of my own to show to others. On a Web site I own and maintain, I regularly post pictures that I take here in Japan to share with my family back home.

Likewise, I can check out what is new in the lives of my loved ones when I view their websites. I also have three separate online journals, more popularly known as blogs (from the term Web log). One of them chronicles my adventures in Japan, and another, more private one, holds all my secrets and my views on life.

There is more to the media than meets the eye. I probably use it in ways I am not even aware of. That is because the media is continually undergoing innovations and being revolutionized to cater to the growing needs of the masses, and its boundaries are being pushed back constantly.

Ten years ago, nobody would have imagined that the news headlines would be delivered to their fingertips, but now news alerts and even weather bulletins are accessed via mobile phones.

The main point is that by maximizing the many ways in which I can use the media, I believe that I can lead a fuller life—it supplements my education, it provides entertainment, it helps me touch base with family and friends and it allows me to creatively express myself.

The truth is, the impact of the media on my life is so great, it has helped shape me into the kind of person that I am today.

Katrina Nessa Abad is a senior majoring in English at the University of the Philippines and now studying Japanese and Japanese culture at Nagasaki University.

SECOND PRIZE/ Katrina Nessa Abad
Special to the Asahi Shimbun

Here's an article written by someone I truly admire, a fellow advocate and friend, re: recent "developments" within "Catholicism". Click the title of this post to see the article in the original site.

Lost in Translation

by: Carolina Ruiz-Austria, RH Reality Check, Asia on July 18, 2007 - 8:50am

When Pope Benedict XVI recently made his announcement about wider use of the Latin Mass , Catholics all over the world had a lot to talk about all over again. Many Catholics are worried, Bishops included, about what the move represents as a whole, apart from the alien language.

Local feminist, Ms. Rina Jimenez David wrote in the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

Striking is the Pope's bending over backwards to accommodate the backsliding elements of the Church while remaining resolute in his refusal to meet with and engage in meaningful dialogue with other members of the flock: women and gays in particular. Ironically, scholars say the future of the Church lies precisely in the greater inclusion and involvement of these two sectors of the Catholic faithful.

Rina, a Catholic, recalls attending the Latin Mass as a child and the feeling of exclusion that comes from not being able to understand the mass. She also described the feeling of attending her first English/Filipino mass after Vatican II, calling it liberating and inclusive.

In the Philippines, this announcement from Catholic officialdom also comes in the wake of recent guidelines by the Manila Archdioscese regarding "dress codes," for churchgoers.

The dress code applies to women and men, but reactions from conservative Catholics confirm that it tends to be used against women, particularly those purportedly baring "too much" by wearing sleeveless blouses, shorts or mini-skirts, not to mention "plunging necklines."

The "code" of course is a guideline and not a "rule," which even according to the Assistant Minister of the archdiocese, Father Godwin Tatlonghari, will not include a punishment for "violators."

Meanwhile another Catholic priest who writes for the Daily Tribune dared ask:

Are we retracing the medieval times when the poor and un-attired are relegated to the back pews or even outside the church doors, while the nobles in their proper royal attires are singing the Kyrie Eleison in Gregorian chants, while the marginalized are mumbling their own personal prayers and intentions. (?)

While certainly these issuances aren't harsh rules by themselves, they nonetheless constitute another case of " line-drawing," familiar in the Catholic Church's recent history.

For local advocates promoting reproductive health policy, facing the ire of the conservative Catholic hierarchy isn't anything new.

Up until recently, only a few have willingly engaged the often-ticklish issue of Catholic "faith and morality," choosing instead to find allies within more liberal, accommodating religions or steer clear of religion altogether.

With just a few days before the newly elected 14th Congress' opening session, Atty. Claire Angeline V. Luczon, Chairperson of the Legal Committee of the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN), also Catholic, is concerned that the reproductive health bill might once more be singled out by the President again with a threat to veto the bill, if it gets passed:

"The problem isn't that there are conservative elements of the Catholic Church who have always been opposed to family planning and now to reproductive health and women's health agendas, but rather missing out that many Catholics have different positions about these issues too."

Lamenting how local media always pits "the reproductive health advocates" and "Catholics" against each other, she notes that framing the issue this way never leads to enlightening exchanges.

A case in point is the controversial issue of clandestine abortion in the Philippines. "Everyday, we see how media sensationalizes unsafe abortion and continues to treat it as a fire and brimstone issue instead of a danger to women's health and lives," adds Luczon.

The draft bill on reproductive health (PDF), which has never carried a provision to legalize abortion and only provides humane treatment of women seeking post abortion care (whether intentional or unintentional), continues to be portrayed as promoting abortion. This has managed to keep away a number of politicians who fear the ire of the Catholic hierarchy.

Alongside issues like divorce and homosexuality, abortion continues to be presented as a black and white issue to Catholics by the conservative hierarchy.

Elsewhere, countries with Catholic majorities have opened up to more complex views about abortion. Mexico City passed legislation this year removing criminal liability in cases of abortion within the first trimester. In 2002, the Mexican Supreme Court upheld the legality of abortion in cases of rape, incest and danger to the health and life of women. This also happened in 2006 in Colombia through the case filed by Monica Roa .

"Once Catholics entered into the mystery of the Mass as literate participants instead of as dumb spectators, an unprecedented renewal took hold", wrote James Caroll of the Boston Globe. But Catholics who disagree with the hierarchy also know that coming to terms with reproductive rights further requires the compassionate recognition of women as fully capable moral agents.

UNFPA Statement on the Occasion of World Population Day 2007

United Nations Population Fund
Because Everyone Counts


World Population Day is a time to focus on commitment and action to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. The theme of this year’s World Population Day is Men as Partners in Maternal Health.

Today too many women die needlessly from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Every minute, another woman loses her life. Every minute, the loss of a mother shatters a family and threatens the well-being of surviving children. And for every woman who dies, 20 or more women experience serious complications such as obstetric fistula.

World leaders have committed themselves to improving maternal health and advancing gender equality. And men can make a tremendous contribution by using their power for positive change. Men have power in wide-ranging situations from personal and family decisions to policy and programme decisions taken at all levels of Government.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, supports safe motherhood initiatives around the world. We work with governments and other partners to ensure that every woman has access to three reproductive health services that save women’s lives. These are voluntary family planning, skilled attendance at birth, and emergency obstetric care if complications arise during delivery.In countries where these services are widely available, more mothers and babies are surviving.

Experience shows that men’s involvement and participation can make all the difference. By discouraging early marriage, promoting girls’ education, fostering equitable relationships, and supporting women’s reproductive health and rights, progress is made.

Today, on World Population Day, it is time for all men—as fathers, brothers, husbands, community and religious leaders, and government officials—to become partners in maternal health. Together we can make this the last day that 1,440 women died during pregnancy and childbirth. Let us go forward with the message: No woman should die giving life. And let us do all we can to promote the right of every woman to enjoy a life of health, dignity and equal opportunity.

* * *
Thoraya Ahmed Obaid,
Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
World Population Day / 11 July 2007

World Population Day 2007

Republic of the Philippines
Department of Health
COMMISSION ON POPULATION
Welfareville Compound, Mandaluyong City

MEDIA ADVISORY
USAPANG BABAE LAMANG BA ITO?

Every day, 10 women die in the Philippines because of pregnancy and related causes. In fact, 162 women die out of 100,000 livebirths.

Six out of ten women are at risk (2006 Family Planning Survey) when they get pregnant because:
they are either too young (less than 18 years old)
they are too old (more than 34 years old)
they have had more than four pregnancies
they have too close or unspaced pregnancies (less than 24 months)
Because of these disturbing facts, MEN IN UNIFORM (Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police), MEN IN GOVERNMENT, AND MEN OF BASIC SECTORS AND NON-GOVERNMENT AGENCIES will gather on July 11, in commemoration of World Population Day, to forge a unified stand in addressing these issues on Maternal and Reproductive Health.

Join us in this historic event, dubbed as “2007 World Population Day Congress”:

USAPANG LALAKE:
“Tungkulin ko sa bayan at tahanan, kalusugan ng ina at anak pangalagaan”

PRESS CONFERENCE
JULY 11, 2007, Wednesday
10:30AM-12 NN
Tejeros Hall, AFP Commissioned Officers Country Club
Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City

Panelists:
Senator Nereus Acosta
Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque
AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes C Esperon Jr AFP
The Surgeon General AFP Brig Gen Rafael R Regino AFP
POPCOM Executive Director Tomas M. Osias
Dr. Alberto Romualdez
Dr. Jonathan Flavier
Dr. Randy David

For further information, please call Ms. Mylene Quiray at: Tel. Nos. 531-6978; 531-6897; 531-6502

Cheche Lazaro makes a difference through 20 probing years

By Kate V. Pedroso
Inquirer
Last updated 01:51am (Mla time) 07/08/2007


MANILA, Philippines—For veteran broadcast journalist, producer and educator Cecilia “Cheche” Lazaro, this year’s recipient of the Gawad Plaridel Award, the 20-year trip to where she is now was all about focusing on a goal, holding on to beliefs and abiding by personal convictions.

“My life as a communicator reflects my life as an independent producer. It started out as a dream—a wish, if you will—to make a difference,” Lazaro said in a lecture on July 4 before students and faculty members at the Cine Adarna of the University of the Philippines Film Institute.

“In the end, I must say I got much more than I bargained for,” she said.

Lazaro is the fourth recipient of the UP College of Mass Communication’s Gawad Plaridel. The award is given out annually to a Filipino media practitioner who has excelled in print, film, radio, television or the new media.

The driving force behind the first and longest-running investigative journalism TV show, “The Probe Team,” Lazaro was cited for “consistently upholding the highest standards of professionalism and for guarding and promoting integrity in the broadcast industry, where commercial ratings have time and again compromised both the content and form of television shows, including news and current affairs.”

In her lecture, Lazaro discussed the challenges faced by television in the midst of “a changing landscape,” and discussed best practices for media practitioners.

“Today, surveys tell us that TV is now the main source of information, with radio and print trailing behind it. It has also become the most credible,” she said, adding that the findings were “interesting” now that TV has been criticized as being “sensational, arrogant and biased.”

“To be sure, the medium is faced with many problems and challenges because of a changing landscape, and the keen competition that keeps the gatekeepers on their toes to stay alive,” Lazaro said.

She said the “obsession” with ratings was one such problem: “In some cases, it has become the end-all and be-all. When competition was narrowed down to two stations, it took on more prominence and performance trackers kept an eagle eye on the numbers.”

While admitting that ratings were a good indicator of who was watching, she said there was also a downside to this obsession.

“If you get caught in the vortex of a ratings tornado, you end up producing programs and adding elements just to rate, and many good stories can fall by the wayside,” said Lazaro.

“They say that competition keeps us alert and on our toes. While that is certainly a good way to keep the adrenaline pumping, it also pressures us to do things that, under normal circumstances, we would find to be in poor taste,” she said.

Exclusives

Lazaro also commented on the current TV trend of airing “exclusives.”

“We now think in terms of exclusives—our newscasts are punctuated by exclusives. Perhaps again it is time to review what the intrinsic value of an exclusive is and, more importantly, how our choices of exclusives affect the audiences who watch us,” she said.

Lazaro cited as examples the breakup of Filipino entertainment personality Ruffa Gutierrez and her Turkish husband Yilmaz Bektas and a hair-pulling incident, both of which had been highlighted in the news as “exclusives.”

“It may be worthwhile to ask ourselves: What value does hair-pulling have as a news story, aside from the riveting human drama of two women tearing at each other’s hair?” she said, adding:

“Are we doing this just to attract our audience, or keep up with competition? Is there a lesson to be learned?”

These “tabloid TV news stories” are reports that “focused on the details and blew them up,” Lazaro said.

“Like the hair-pulling incident and the Ruffa-Yilmaz story, details were blown up and milked for all [they were] worth. The tabloid news has become the norm,” she said.

‘Idiotizing’ the audience

Remarking on the way news is being delivered on TV, Lazaro said:

“When reading the news, words are heavily punctuated in the same manner that you would announce a major catastrophe. I find it personally difficult to reconcile this mode of delivery with the basic characteristic of television. Because of the intimacy of the medium, you enter into the private spaces of your audience. I say it is a conversation you want to engender, not a lecture, or a speech.”

She noted that TV had been held “responsible for the ‘idiotization’ of our generation.”

Read the rest of this article here.

DZMM: Best Radio Station from the Rotary Club

Congratulations to DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 for being awarded as the BEST RADIO STATION by the Rotary Club of the Philippines.

Under the management of Mr. Angelo Palmones, the radio station has been actively advocating reproductive health rights, devoting airtime for its discussions and various programs focusing on RH issues and concerns. One of its significant contribution in the advancement of RH issues and concerns is the yearly Buntis Congress.

Handog ng DZMM sa mga Buntis

Extended ang selebrasyon ng Mother’s Day dahil sa hinandog ng DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 na isang libreng nationwide seminar para sa mga malapit nang maging ina, ang Buntis Congress, na nasa ikatlong taon na ngayon!

Ginanap ito nung Mayo 29, na may pamagat na "Buntis Is It!,” sa SM Cinemas at lobby sa iba’t-ibang sulok ng bansa: sa Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo at Cagayan de Oro. Sa tulong ng ABS-CBN’s Regional Network Group (RNG), Philippine OB-Gyn Society and Maternal at ng Child Nursing of the Philippines (MCNAP), libo-libong kababaihan ang nabigyan ng iba’t-ibang kaalaman tungkol sa safe motherhood at maternal care. Bukas rin ang programa sa mga mag-asawa. Ang registration ay sinaganap sa DZMM Public Service Center, ABS-CBN complex, Quezon City, at sa ABS-CBN regional stations.

Isa lang ang “Buntis Congress” sa napakaraming libreng service-oriented projects ng DZMM, gaya ng monthly medical mission “Oplan MM,” livelihood seminar “Caravan Kaalaman,” nationwide mass christening na “Binyagang Bayan,” at ng sariling fire brigade ng istasyon.

Patuloy ang Metro Manila’s number one station (base sa latest AC Nielsen survey) sa paglilingkod sa publiko, dahil ayon nga sa slogan nito, ang DZMM ay “una sa balita, una sa public service.”

To Mr. Angelo Palmones and to the rest of your team, MORE POWER!!!

Usapang POPDEV

What: Usapang PopDev: Media Forum
When: July 4, 2007, 10:00am
Where: Annabel's Restaurant, T. Morato, QC

Topic: Kapon ka na ba?
Male Involvement in Safe Motherhood

Men's involvement in SRH

Here's a picture I got from one of the other blogs I visit "from the boondocks". It was apparently taken in Ifugao. Found it interesting to post here for two (2) reasons:

1. It was taken by one of our media advocates based in Baguio City - Rick Reyes of The Manila Standard Today and correspondent to other local newspapers in the CAR area.
2. It's a good shot depicting Men's involvement in Reproductive Health...

With Father's Day celebrated just last month, I felt this could still be relevant and a good issue/topic to be discussed here. =) Besides, known RH media advocate and family friend Angelo Palmones, station manager of dzMM-Radyo Patrol 630 [ABS-CBN] informed me last week that he was invited in a discussion this July by The Forum for Family Planning and Development re: Male involvement in SRH and asked for some info on the subject. So I thought of posting and sharing them here as well.

----
The commitment to engage men in both sexual and reproductive health and gender equality was first made at the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo 1994).

The objective is to promote gender eauality in all spheres of life, including family and community life, and to encourage and enable men to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive behaviour and their social and family roles.

ICPD Programme of Action (Paragraph 4.25)

Special efforts should be made to emphasize men's shared responsibility and promote their active involvement in responsible parenthood, sexual and reproductive behaviour, including family planning; prenatal, maternal and child health; prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV; prevention of unwanted and high-risk pregnancies; shared control and contribution of family income, children's education, health and nutrition; recognition and promotion of the equal value of children of both sexes. Male responsibilities in family life must be included in education of children from the earliest ages. Special emphasis should be placed on the prevention of violence against women and children.

ICPD Programme of Action (Paragraph 4.27)

Involving more MEN: Recommendations

Instead of viewing "men" from the perspective of a deficit or a challenge, advocates should consider how men are already involved as sexual partners, husbands and fathers, and use those roles to try to involve men in sexual and reproductive health programs and services from a gender equality and partnership perspective.

Partnership implies men and women making decisions and choices together, from equal positions of power, to achieve common sexual and reproductive health goals. In particular, couple communication and negotiation is generally a factor and should be promoted in order to reach agreement on SRH goals, such as family planning and preventions of STI and HIV prevalence and increase gender equality among couples.

Here are innovations that have been successful in involving men in SRH:(from WHO)

1. Incorporating the gender and life cycle perspectives into SRH programs;

2. Creating opportunities for discussion about masculinities and gender equality among both men and women;

3. Providing comprehensive SRH services for men that go beyond contraception, and that includes the provision of counselling to men on family planning, contraception, STI transmission and couple communication;

4. Reaching men in t he workplace or where they socialize, instead of relying on a traditional clinical setting;

5. Using social marketing campaigns to promote male involvement in SRH;

6. Involving local opinion leaders in marketing campaigns and service design and delivery;

7. Reaching out to adolescents and young men through creative marketing and public communication.