As part of the youth week celebration last August 9, Carmela M. Constantino, Municipal Sangguniang Kabataan Federation (MSKF) President of Malungon, Sarangani, spearheaded the rollout of the Barangay Youth Leadership and Governance Program (BYLGP) in five barangays in Malungon, where high incidence of teenage pregnancies persists.

Encouraged by the participants’ enthusiasm for change, Constantino said she will implement the program in 31 more barangays. “I appreciate the young people for co-owning the responsibility of addressing our problem of having high teenage pregnancies,” she said.

BYLGP is the scale-up program of the Zuellig Family Foundation’s Youth Leadership and Governance Program (YLGP), which started in 2019 and will be closing out with a colloquium in November 2022. While YLGP focused on youth leaders at the municipal level, BYLGP aims to capacitate youth leaders at the barangay level to help them create programs to prevent adolescent pregnancies and promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights (ASRHR).

Pilot-testing
Youth leaders under YLGP, including Constantino, were trained on coaching and facilitation to help them pilot-test, roll out, and provide coaching and mentoring during the implementation of BYLGP.

Piloting BYLG occurred between July and August 2022 in 18 barangays that had the highest cases of adolescent pregnancies. These barangays are in the municipalities of Malungon, Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat, and Piagapo, Taraka and Kapatagan in Lanao del Sur.

A total of 100 participants underwent program design and leadership training and deep dives (immersions). They came up with 25 behavior-centered programs, which will be implemented by November this year. The programs are expected to get the support of stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders and parents in reducing teenage pregnancies and early marriages.

Lance Neil Caberte, MSKF President of Kalamansig, said that together with the newly-trained barangay youth leaders: “We will convene the Katipunan ng mga Kabataan in September to diffuse BYLGP learnings and innovations, and co-create our Linggo ng Kabataan program.”

For Saidaliah C. Ayonan, MSKF Secretary of Piagapo, “BYLGP is an opportunity for other youth leaders to appreciate what we have been doing in YLGP, and for them to also undergo the same experience and be encouraged to look deeper into the complex issues of teenage pregnancy and early marriage.”

“BYLGP allows us to create spaces to let the voices of the youth be heard,” said Muhammad Rasdam Usodan, MSKF President of Taraka.

Moreover, the youth is not only heard but also appreciated. “Our SK and Local Youth Development councils recognize the contributions of the BYLGP-trained leaders in co-creating ASRHR programs,” said Faroc Palawan, MSKF President of Kapatagan.

(Published on August 31, 2022)

Due to situations that contribute to increased maternal and infant deaths and a high incidence of gender-based violence, three provinces were chosen as pilot sites for the Zuellig Family Foundation’s (ZFF) Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) training course. Catanduanes was hit by back-to-back typhoons; Laguna experienced high COVID-19 cases; while Maguindanao faced instability wrought by protracted armed conflicts.

The training course, a partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and funded by Australian Aid, strengthened the competencies of provincial leaders to implement life-saving SRH information and services during natural disasters and other public health emergencies.

An assessment workshop was conducted in Tagaytay City from June 20 to 22, 2022 to mark the end of the pilot implementation. It served as a platform to harvest program lessons and insights from the experiences of all project stakeholders.

Thirty participants from the three provinces and key staff from the Health Emergency and Management Bureau of the Department of Health, and the Local Government Academy participated in the workshop.

During the plenary, former Undersecretary for Local Government Marivel Sacendoncillo reiterated that sexual and reproductive health is a development issue. Even sectoral investments in education and social services contribute to improved implementation of MISP and reproductive health, she said. She emphasized that plans and investments “should be standardized to improve the responsibility and accountability of local leaders for MISP.”

Continuing challenges
The workshop participants identified the need for a national policy to support local budgeting of their MISP for SRH plans, and monitor the implementation of local MISP plans. The provinces discussed the policies influencing and affecting the implementation of MISP services, and the governance mechanisms that would facilitate the institutionalization of MISP in local governments.

Nulfarid Ampatuan, Maguindanao’s Provincial Planning Officer, said the province will concentrate on training, capacity-building, coaching, and mentoring to ensure LGU readiness in implementing MISP for SRH during disasters. They will ensure that there are MISP for SRH localized policies with appropriate funds for the planning framework, integration, and cascading of MISP for SRH plans locally.

Vivian de Leon, from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Laguna, noted the need for continuous self-improvement for local leaders and highlighted the need to collaborate and work harmoniously toward improving MISP for SRH in the province.

Dr. Hazel Palmes, from the PHO of Catanduanes, said the province would work on funding and resource mobilization from private organizations, civil society organizations, and other agencies. She also recommended having more female staff from the Philippine National Police on the Women and Child Protection Desk to respond to gender-based violence cases, especially during calamities.

The quick progress made by training participants in bringing their respective areas closer to Universal Health Care (UHC) coverage led the Department of Health’s North Luzon cluster to formally extend its partnership with the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF). This paves the way for ZFF’s leadership program to add 15 more health leaders to its current roster of 32 leaders undergoing its Leadership Development Program to Accelerate UHC (LDP-UHC).

The LDP-UHC started last March. It has been providing DOH North Luzon regional core teams, which include the regional directors and assistant regional directors, coaching and technical assistance to accomplish the necessary deliverables to fulfill the UHC preparatory level requirements. These include the establishment of regional units responsible for health promotion, disaster risk reduction and management, and referral networks among private and public hospitals.

“We continue the program to accelerate UHC. We realize that there is a lot of relationship-building to be done. The essence of this program is that we carefully move away from a transactional approach to leadership, and be more strategic and have a more personal response to implement UHC,” said Health Undersecretary and North Luzon cluster chief Dr. Myrna C. Cabotaje during the ceremonial signing of the partnership agreement last June 29.

Also present during the hybrid event were DOH Undersecretary Dr. Abdullah Dumama Jr., Assistant Health Secretary Roy Ferrer of the Field Implementation and Coordination Team, DOH Cordillera Regional Director Rio Magpantay, DOH Ilocos Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco, and DOH Cagayan Regional Director Grace Santiago. ZFF was represented by Executive Director Austere A. Panadero, Deputy Executive Director Dr. Anthony Rosendo Faraon, and Local Health System Portfolio Director Dr. Catherine Chung.

The partnership program with the DOH is an offshoot of ZFF’s Provincial Leadership and Governance Program given to the governors—and their core teams—of Agusan del Sur, Aklan, and Bataan. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the three provinces managed to sustain the reforms to bring them closer to attaining UHC.

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ZFF-DOH forge partnership toward UHC goals
Plans set to get UHC back on track in provinces
Synergy for UHC in Northern Luzon

Collaboration and working in synergy are critical in achieving Universal Health Care (UHC), emphasized Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje during the network training for the Department of Health’s Field Implementation and Coordination Team (DOH-FICT) in northern Luzon.

Among the challenges in the implementation of UHC in northern Luzon is establishing a health care provider network (HCPN). HCPN is a vital ingredient in improving access and availability of health care in the regions because it links local health providers for coordinated and comprehensive delivery of health care programs and services.

To address this, the training provided the regional health teams and medical center chiefs from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos Region, and Cagayan Valley the venue to firm up their HCPN development plans and work together in ensuring inclusive and responsive health services in the context of UHC.

The training held last June 8 to 10 in Baguio City is part of the Leadership Development Program for Universal Health Care (LDP-UHC), a partnership between the DOH-FICT in northern Luzon and the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF).

HCPN development plans
The three-day activity helped participants sift through the challenges in UHC implementation, recognize the important role of regional health teams in communicating the importance of achieving UHC, and identify the collaborative work needed to reach the shared regional health vision.

The regional teams developed their improved HCPN development plans after sessions on having a shared vision, systems thinking, stakeholder mapping and analysis, and team synergy.

CAR will create a regional HCPN that may eventually include an inter-regional HCPN. It also identified strategic actions to fast-track its UHC milestones, such as strengthening the capacity of the regional health promotion unit and licensing of levels 2 and 3 health facilities.

Ilocos Region will capacitate its provincial health team leaders (PHTLs) to coach and mentor local chief executives in operationalizing UHC.

Cagayan Valley will institutionalize the hospitals identified as apex hospitals–Cagayan Valley Medical Center, Southern Isabela Medical Center, and Region 2 Trauma Medical Center. It also plans to eventually upgrade Batanes General Hospital to an apex hospital. Apex hospitals serve as end referral facilities for patients in need of higher and specialized levels of care. They also provide the HCPN with performance monitoring and technical assistance, including training of human resources, and research.

Related posts:
ZFF-DOH forge partnership toward UHC goals
Plans set to get UHC back on track in provinces

Key local health leaders of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) came up with action plans to accelerate the family planning (FP) program in BARMM during a leadership training with the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF). The region targets to increase the modern contraceptive prevalence rate among all women from 24.9% in 2017 to 30% by 2024.

Hampering the implementation of the FP program in BARMM are weak forecasting and distribution, ineffective inventory management and reporting of FP commodities, limited consultation on budget allocation, and an insufficient number of skilled workers to provide quality FP services.

To address these issues, the two-day training under the BARMM-Health partnership program of the ZFF and the University Research Company (URC) is designed to develop bridging leadership (BL) competencies among local health leaders. The BL framework, through the three processes of ownership, co-ownership, and co-creation, fosters greater personal accountability for social health issues and harmonious collaboration with different stakeholders to overcome challenges.

BARMM-Health will help capacitate the regional implementation team for the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law that will provide technical assistance on supply chain management, health human resource, and financing to FP priority areas. The program focuses on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) but is ultimately aimed at strengthening provincial health systems to contribute to the implementation of Universal Health Care (UHC). UHC requires a resilient health system that gives fair access to high-quality, inexpensive health care goods and services, including SRH programs.

Participants in the sessions held on May 18 and 19 in Davao City included the Bangsamoro Darul Ifta (BDI), Ministry of Health (MOH), and Ministry of Interior and Local Government. The BDI, an influential advisory council, will reproduce the fatwa (a legal ruling in Islamic law) on FP in the BARMM to reach the grassroots. It will also translate the fatwa into khutbah (sermon delivered by the imam or Muslim prayer leader) to reconcile the opposing perspectives on FP of the Muslims.

There were also representatives from the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Office, the Bangsamoro Women Commission, and the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority. All the participants will discuss their action plans in the quarterly meeting of the BARMM Regional Implementation Team (BRIT) in June 2022. The action plans include organizing the regional supply chain management committee and warehousing FP commodities.

Read Ambassador Roberto Romulo’s Philippine Star column on July 26, 2019 by clicking on the link below:

World View by Roberto R. Romulo

You can also read the copy by clicking on the link below:

PDF copy of Ambassador Romulo’s column