SRH and HIV/AIDS Linkages at Policies, Programmes and Service ...

Demographic, Sexual andReproductive Health, andHIV Status of FilipinosFour out of the seven MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) are onsexual and reproductive health. It isheartening to note that the Philippinesis likely to achieve two out of these fourgoals. The country is likely to achievegender equality and empowermentof women. In fact, the gender gap ineducation is in favour of girls; moregirls than boys are enrolled in bothelementary and secondary levels. Infant,(under-five) and neonatal mortalitycontinues to decrease and there is alsothe likelihood that MDG 4, on reducingchild mortality, will be achieved.In 2003 there were 29 infant deaths per1000 live births and 40 deaths per 1000children under the age of five.This decreased to 25 and 34 deathsper 1000 children respectively in 2008.Considerable success has been madein combating malaria (Goal 6) but thegrowing number of HIV and AIDScases suggests that the infection hasnot been halted. As of the end of 2010,the cumulative number of reportedHIV positive individuals has alreadyreached 6,015 of which 78% are males.Unprotected sex was identified as theprimary mode of transmission.However, the goal of improving maternalhealth significantly lags behind the otherthree in terms of the likelihood of beingachieved at the end of 2015. The 2008National Demographic and HealthSurvey (NDHS) showed that whilethe total fertility rate (TFR) decreasedfrom 6.0 children per woman in 1970to 3.5, it is still high compared withneighbouring countries like Thailandand Singapore where the TFR is below2.0 children per woman. This is despitethe desire of most Filipino womento have a smaller family with 82 percent of women wishing to either spacebirths or limit childbearing altogether.Women in urban and rural areas have,on the average, 2.8 and 3.8 children,respectively. Around 26 per cent ofwomen age 15-24 years old have begunchild bearing. The level of fertility isinversely proportional to the women’slevel of education and householdwealth. It is ironic that those whoare in a better position to provide fortheir children are the ones with fewerchildren. This probably could be tracedto the sad state of the reproductivehealth programme in the country.The contraceptive prevalence rate islow. At present, only 51 per cent ofmarried women use contraceptives.The most common modern methodsused are the pill (16 per cent) followedby female sterilisation (9 per cent). Inthe 1970s and early 1980s because ofthe government’s support for familyplanning, the contraceptive prevalencerate (CPR) increased from 17 per centin 1973 to 40 per cent in 1993. However,these gains were not sustained in thesucceeding years. Since then, the CPRincreased gradually to the 51 per centthat is currently reported.Despite numerous legislations passedand still being proposed aimed atimproving sexual and reproductivehealth, the Philippines is still, at itsbest, in the infancy stage. Decades ofdisagreement between the Catholic99