(NAR) VOL. 7 NO. 2 / APRIL-JUNE 1996; 92 OG No. 22, 3411 (May 27, 1996)
WHEREAS, Section 15, Article II, of the
Philippine Constitution provides that, "the State shall protect and
promote the right to health of the people and instill health
consciousness among them";
WHEREAS, Section 3,
Article XV, of the Philippine Constitution provides that, "the State
shall defend:
1. The right of spouses to
found a family in accordance with their religious convictions and
demands of responsible parenthood;
2. The right of
children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special
protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and
other conditions prejudicial to their development;
3.
The right of the family to a family wage and income;
and
4. The right of families or family associations
to participate in planning and implementation of policies and programs
that affect them".
WHEREAS, to arrest the
problem of high infant and maternal mortality, there is a need to
implement an earnest Philippine Family Planning Program, emphasizing
safe motherhood and child survival;
WHEREAS, the
Philippine Family Planning Program recognizes the constitutional right
of all Filipinos to exercise their freedom of conscience as to the
number and spacing of their children, as well as the family planning
method that is right for them, consistent with their religious and moral
beliefs and in consonance with the ideals of a democratic
country;
WHEREAS, Family Planning is a part of
nationally mandated priority public health concerns to attain the
country's national health and development goals and is a critical
component of the Philippine Population Management Program, to achieve
population levels conducive to the improvement of individual and family
welfare and attainment of sustainable development for Philippines
2000;
WHEREAS, the national government needs the full
support and active involvement of the local government units to
implement such a program nationwide;
WHEREAS, Section
16 of the Local Government Code provides that the local government
units be primarily responsible in promoting people's health and safety;
Section 17 of the same further provides that the local government units
shall be responsible for the provision of basic services and facilities,
among which are health services, family planning services, and
population development services;
NOW, THEREFORE, I,
FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers
vested in me by the Constitution and R.A. 7160, do hereby direct local
chief executives, specifically the governors as well as mayors of
component cities and municipalities under their supervision, mayors of
highly urbanized cities and independent component cities
to:
SECTION 1. Promote the Philippine Family Planning
Program as a priority government program through advocacy activities,
the vigorous and sustained participation of local officials in program
management, the use of local facilities, the services of local service
providers and other local employees, and utilization of other local
resources and expertise.
SECTION 2. Ensure the
information on and services for all methods including Natural Family
Planning endorsed by the program are available at appropriate levels of
service outlets, adhering to the standards of quality of care
promulgated by the national program.
SECTION 3.
Ensure that the practice of family planning is purely on a voluntary
basis, based on freedom of conscience and respect for the sanctity of
life.
SECTION 4. Provide the necessary budgetary
support to the program.
SECTION 5. Coordinate with
and seek the assistance of national agencies, particularly the
Department of Health, and members of the Population Commission, who are
involved in the Philippine Family Planning
Program.
SECTION 6. Coordinate and encourage the
involvement of non-government organizations and the private commercial
sector in the Philippine Family Planning Program, in the spirit of
public-private sector partnership.
This Executive
Order shall take effect immediately.
Adopted: 28
February 1996
(SGD.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
President of the Philippines
By the
President:
(SGD.) RUBEN D.
TORRES
Executive Secretary