Let Our Voices Be Heard

In broad strokes, the National Inquiry has documented the uneven implementation and support for the RH law, primarily due to decentralization and the autonomy of local governments units which has largely fragmented the delivery of health services. The National Inquiry on Reproductive Health show that the RPRH is not being implemented uniformly, and that there are national and local policies and practices that negatively impact women, especially the most marginalized. The National Inquiry documented policies passed by local government units which show disregard for and disrespect of women’s choice of family planning methods and commodities despite availability of resources. In some local government units, existing policies deny allocation of resources for artificial family planning methods and/or provide punitive penalties for practices which affect accessibility and availability of Reproductive Health services and information. In so doing, the Philippines falls short in its obligations under CEDAW, specifically its obligation to “ensure women’s access to services in the areas of family planning, pregnancy, confinement and post-natal period and to sexual and reproductive health services.”