NEDA WELCOMES RETURN OF POPCOM UNDER ITS WING
MANILA— The National Economic and Development Authority vowed to beef up the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law following the signing of Executive Order No. 71, which puts back the Commission on Population (PopCom) under NEDA.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed EO No. 71 on Thursday which renames the Commission on Population to the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) and likewise reverting its attachment to NEDA from the Department of Health.
“We will certainly step up the implementation of the RPRH Law, which will benefit all Filipino families,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said.
CPD is mandated to formulate and adopt coherent, integrated, and comprehensive long-term plans, programs, and recommendations on population and family planning as it relates to economic and social development.
It was an attached agency of NEDA from 1991 until 2003 before its supervision was placed under the Department of Health.
“In order to strengthen the development and implementation by the PopCom of population-related plans, policies, programs, and projects in pursuit of socioeconomic development programs, there is a need to enhance its coordination with the NEDA,” EO No. 71 states.
The Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, the country’s development blueprint crafted by NEDA, has identified the integration of population and development as one of the key strategies to accelerate the country’s economic growth and improve the quality of Filipinos’ lives.
“NEDA will make sure that the country’s population is well-managed and programs related to it are in sync with our overall development plans,” Pernia said.
