PLCPD orients Ifugao Core Group on RH and gender policies

By Daniel B. Codamon

Wednesday 23rd of January 2013

LAGAWE, Ifugao, Jan. 23 (PIA) --The Philippine Legislator’s Committee on Population and Development Foundation (PLCPD) conducted on January 22 an orientation meeting to a core group here for the scaling up of local advocacy intervention to develop policy champions and mobilize grassroots support for reproductive health (RH) and gender policies and programs.

The Ifugao core group who attended the meeting were Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator Carmelita Buyuccan, Population Program Officer Miriam Baguidudol, Estela Nanglegan of the Provincial Health Office, Aginaya Cabanayan, and Leizl Saldaan of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Cynne Pataueg, president of the Ifugao State University (IFSU) Peer Educator’s Group and Christian Dumangeng, president of the Ifugao Youth Confederation.

The PLCPD is a non-stock, non-profit membership-type organization established in 1989 by a group of progressive legislators from the Senate and House of Representatives committed to working with and among legislative bodies from the national down to the local level to develop policy champions and generate viable, responsive and people-centered public policies on population and human development.

Represented by PLCPD coordinators Rio Magpayo and Maida Ojeda, they explained to the participants that the project aims to strengthen local networks of policy champions among local legislators, women, youth and interfaith leaders of Ifugao to ensure the enactment and implementation of a national law and local ordinances on RH through capacity building, leadership development, and mobilizing activities.

As its ultimate objectives, it will develop local advocacy teams (LAT) at the provincial and municipal level which will lead the campaign for the implementation of the RH Law, forge partnership with local women’s organizations, local non-government organizations and interfaith groups and generate mass constituency for RH in carrying out advocacy interventions and ensuring fund allocations for RH programs, services and information.

Moreover, it will institutionalize the LATs as a mechanism for advocacy actions to pursue the implementation and monitoring of local ordinance on RH with corresponding budget and increase public understanding of RH as a woman’s right to decide freely and responsibly on matters related to her sexual reproductive health.

They said that to achieve this, the project will undertake activities which will target key decision-makers such as local chief executives (LCEs), district representatives and local legislators and also increase the commitment and leadership of women and youth in the province.

Mainstreaming RH and gender issues in the 2013 elections will also be an important component of the scaling project and policy forums and debates will be organized during the election campaign to serve as a venue to educate the electorates on the importance of RH and gender issues and for the candidates to have a chance to articulate their stand on these policy issues.

After the orientation, the Core Group made an action plan which includes the holding of a meeting on February 7 to form the Provincial Advocacy Team; Electoral Youth Forum at IFSU on morning of March 12 and in the afternoon, the Women’s Forum at Asipulo where senatorial candidates will be invited as speakers while the local candidates will serve as reactors.

The PLCPD promised to provide technical assistance and capacity building for the Ifugao LATs organized on policy advocacy particularly on policy review and analysis, policy formulation and development, budget advocacy and the formulation of implementing rules and regulations.(JDP/DBC-PIA CAR, Ifugao)