Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Palace: Health Department could still fund family planning program



The Department of Health (DOH) still has funds for its family planning program despite the slash in its budget for the purchase of contraceptives, the Palace said on Tuesday (Jan. 12).

Citing an explanation from Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the proposed amount for the family planning program under the 2016 National Expenditure Program was P3,137,872,000.

This amount, he said, is under the women’s and men's health development component of the department’s Family Health and Responsible Parenting.

“In the 2016 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the amount was reduced to P2,275,078,000. The decrease, amounting to P862,794,000, pertains to the procurement of the Implanon implant, which is a contraceptive. Senator (Vicente) Sotto had intimated during the Senate deliberations that he would move to delete the budget for the Implan on implant in view of the Supreme Court TRO to temporarily stop the distribution and selling of the said contraceptive,” Secretary Coloma explained.

So, instead of the P3.137-billion budget for women's and men's health development component of the Family Health and Responsible Parenting, the Congress' final version of the 2016 GAA allocated P2.275 billion for the program, he said.

“Meron pang halaga na maaaring gugulin para sa family planning, bukod pa doon sa mga halagang hindi ganap na iginugol nitong nakaraang taon na maaari pa ring gugulin ng DOH,” Coloma added. (PCOO News Release)

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