City POPCOM fervor hopes to solve societal issues
The City Population Office (CityPopCom) is fervently implementing programs to improve the quality of life and increase each Koronadaleños share of the fruits of socioeconomic progress in the hopes of resolving societal issues by addressing the needs of various sectors of society for empowerment.
Their office was able to provide 119 sessions on Parent Effectiveness Service, Usapang Buntis, Pre-Marriage Counseling, and Responsible Parenthood from January to June of this year. Meanwhile, 24 anti-bullying, threats and risks, teen pregnancy, adolescent health, leadership, personal hygiene, and life skills sessions were conducted to elementary and secondary students. As part of the Population Development Integration – GAD program, up to 15 activities were carried out.
To assist couples and people of reproductive age in making decisions by raising awareness about life issues and concerns, including those of family members, the said office increased the number of Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning sessions to 119. The Adolescent Health & Youth Development Program conducted 24 sessions to assist adolescents in managing their sexual responsibility while achieving full personal development.
With the increased demand for field work and intensive lectures in the 27 barangays, the CityPopCom divided their Programs, Projects, and Activities (PPAs) into four sections, each overseen by one division and three section chiefs. They are primarily responsible for implementing the Population and Development Integrated Strategies, Family Development Strategies-Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning (RPFP) Program, and Adolescent Health and Development (AHD) Program.
In her report, City Population Officer Janet T. Demonteverde stated that from January to December 2022, data shows that 2,558 Live Births were registered in the City of Koronadal, the highest of which is in the city’s largest barangay General Paulino Santos, which has a total of 314 Live Births registered. 317 of the births are by adolescent mothers, which allows the CPO to plan their programs based on the available data. On the plus side, 2,361 of the births are attended by doctors, indicating that the public is aware of the importance of seeking appropriate maternity care.
Meanwhile, CityPopCom was able to track down marriage data, revealing that 2044 couples married in 2022, with the majority of them, 606, being college graduates. Henceforward, the CityPopCom has stepped up the intensity of its pre-marriage seminar by collaborating with the Model Family Association, who serve as Resource Speakers. This is intended to assist the couple in preparing for the responsibility of raising a family.
Furthermore, Demonteverde emphasized the importance of focusing on social health, stating that the most common cause of death from January to December 2022 appears to be lifestyle diseases based on their data. The leading cause of death is myocardial infarction, which accounts for 884 recorded deaths, followed by cerebrovascular accident/disease. The data can also be used to support government interventions in constituents’ health.
The CityPopCom works on integrating population concerns in the plans and operations as one of the spearhead departments in gathering socio-economic data, which is essentially required in formulating local development plans.
Currently, the CityPopCom is working earnestly to improve the quality of life and increase the share of each Koronadaleño in the fruits of socioeconomic progress through well-planned, healthy, empowered, and resilient individuals, families, and communities.