Region 8 joins PopCom countdown to gold

PALO, Leyte, March 14  -- The Commission on Population (PopCom) regional office here joins the whole agency in preparing for its 50th anniversary on February 19, 2019.

PopCom Eastern Visayas Regional Director Elnora Pulma, in a press briefing on March 13, said 49 years since its creation, their office continuous to be the technical resource agency in population and development integration, responsible parenthood and family planning as well as adolescent health and youth development.

These efforts are backed by national government agencies, local government units, private institutions, civil society organizations, non-government institutions and other partners, said Pulma.

“As we count down to its 50th anniversary, PopCom continues to work for the improvement of the quality of life of every Filipino, it oversee the actualization of Philippine Population Management Program in relation to the country’s agreement and contribution to the Internal conference on the Population and Development Program of Action, the Sustainable Development Goals and the current administration’s 0-10 point socio economic agenda directed towards achieving the Filipino’s aspiration of a strongly-rooted, comfortable and secure life for all,” Pulma added.

In Eastern Visayas, more than 17,000 youth have been joining PopCom’s Adolescent Health and Youth Development advocacies through Youth for Youth (U4U) events over several years.

This month, the regional office will conduct annual population quiz to raise young people’s awareness on various population issues and impart value population in national development and how they as young people are affected by population dynamics.

The region will also strengthen young people’s engagement in PopCom’s advocacies in the annual Adolescent Health and Youth Development Independent Film Festival.

Leyte National High school’s youth film “Sulhog” is the region’s entry to the national film fest which will be held on March 22 to 23 in Manila.

“We will continue to take the lead in contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of all families in the region by empowering them through responsible parenting, quality health, education and population and development integration,” Pulma added.

Themes for the three major program components of the 50th anniversary official countdown are responsible parenthood and family planning, adolescent health and development and population and development integration. They will showcase different activities nationwide to be conducted every quarter as part of the countdown.

The Philippine Population Program was officially launched through the Executive Order No. 171 and PopCom was mandated to serve as the central coordinating and policy making body of the government in the field of population since 1969. (LAAA/PNA)