POPCOM taps youth to fight poverty

By WENDY ATUBAN
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — With 92.2 million population and most of whom are young people, the new thrust of the programs of the Population Commission now engages the youth in advocating its programs on population management.

POPCOM Executive Director Tomas Osias acknowledged “youth participation” as a “multi-dimensional strategy against poverty.” Most of the population in the Philippines belongs to the young people, said Grace Cruz, director of the University of the Philippines Population Institute, citing a study done by said institution in 2002 revealing that the country has a very young population as a result of a high fertility rate at an average of three children per woman.

Osias believed the youth can contribute so much in the advocacy of fighting poverty through espousing population management programs of the government. He supposed that the advocacy of the young people will be spearheaded by the regional and national champions of the recently concluded 2009 National Population Quiz held on Nov. 17-19 at Teachers’ Camp here.

The POPCOM head announced the population management programs of the government are in line with policies based on the principles of respect for life, responsible parenting, and birth choice. He said further that the commission is concentrating on responsible parenting as he noticed there is a need for an intense information education and communication on this especially among the poor.

Barangay classes for that purpose are being implemented on barangays as part of the responsible parenting movement. # nordis.net