Bill on Family Life and Responsible Parenthood Filed

Nueva Vizcaya Representative Rodolfo Agbayani has recently filed a bill promoting responsible parenthood and family welfare. House Bill 3422, or the “Family Life Act of 2004″, was crafted with the assistance of the Task Force on Population organized by the National Academy for Science and Technology. The Task Force based their recommendations on analyses of studies on population and family life by leading demographers, economists and other social scientists. They also consulted theologians of all faiths and other persons interested in the improvement of family life and responsible parenthood in the country.

 
House Bill 3422 seeks to establish a “Family Life Program” to “support the family and contribute to its stability and harmony and to educate and inform married couples, the youth and the public at large on responsible parenthood and information on all modern family planning methods, including Natural Family Planning.”
 
The bill promotes family planning as a means to help couples determine the size of their family and the spacing of their children.
 
The bill proposes that the Family Life Program be created in the Office of the President and that a “Family Life Fund” of two billion pesos be allocated for the program. A Presidential Adviser on Family Life and Responsible Parenthood will head a council that set priorities and criteria so that local government units, religious organizations, non-governmental organizations and business groups can access and match the funds for their local programs. Such programs will recognize them as partners of the State in maintaining the stability of families and the sanctity of the family as a social institution.
 
“Scholarly studies have shown that our citizens identify an unmet need for family planning.  This Bill attempts to respond to that need in a moral, responsible and effective way that recognizes the role of faith and conscience in this very important family decision,” stated Rep. Agbayani in his explanatory note.

The Family Life Act of 2004 further elicits the cooperation of non-government and civil society organizations, national agencies, local government units and religious institutions.  In particular, the bill proposes that these organizations set up “Family Life Centers” in their respective jurisdictions.  The projects under the Family Life Program will be implemented through these centers.
 
According to Agbayani: “Since the advent of devolution, many LGUs have already taken the initiative to effectively tackle the unmet need for family planning in their respective areas.  This bill will provide them additional impetus to enhance family life in their communities.”
 
Agbayani added that on a national level, the work involved in the Family Life Program focuses on policy making, giving financial awards, and standard-setting and monitoring.
(last updated 04.03.05) Source: http://www.nast.dost.gov.ph/pr1mar05_population.htm