THE UNITED STATES has provided P3.7 million worth of funding and technical assistance to promote family planning and address teenage pregnancies in the Philippines, according to a statement released by its embassy in Manila on Tuesday.
“We are happy to see the innovation ecosystem in the Philippines starting to engage in family planning and adolescent reproductive health issues,” said US Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines Office of Health Director Michelle Lang-Alli.
“USAID is committed to helping countries meet the family planning and reproductive health needs of their people,” she added.
Four digital platforms were introduced during the Innovation Accelerator Impact Showcase on Feb. 21 in Makati City. These may now be used by local governments and public health agencies to promote family planning resources and services for the public.
“We are talking about 60% of 110 million Filipinos who are not able to pay for services on their own, so we have to find ways to work on that,” Health Assistant Secretary Beverly Lorraine C. Ho said.
“This is why it is important for us to come together and build connections so that we can know who is doing what and support each other.” — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan