2020 is specially challenging as we were all faced by COVID-19 pandemic. Despite all the challenges, I’m am pleased to present our accomplishments.

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In the first quarter of 2020, series of ARH educational discussions enabled the Forum to reach 2,555 young people while we work with SK Officials of El Nido, Palawan and the Department of Education Division Office of Benguet.  In addition, we are able to train 66 youth peer educators from City of Talisay, Cebu and Banaue, Ifugao.

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Due to the imposed community quarantine to control to COVID-19 spread, the Forum shifted to online modalities to continue its awareness raising activities and mainstreaming the RH discussions. Free webinars on lifestyle, mental health, and sexual health amid lockdown were offered for free especially our community and institution partners.

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At the national level, the Forum continued its active advocacy effort to support the passage of “Girls Not Brides Act of 2020 - Senate Bill No. 1373” and the roll out of CSE in schools as mandated by the “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 – R.A. 10354”.

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The Forum is also proud to share MOMCHAT, Municipality-Optimized Maternal and Child Health Assistance Tracker, an online tool we developed together with MAPUA University with the support of UNFPA. This tool aims to support reducing data gaps on SRH by providing LGUs updated maternal health data which can be utilized to improve the SRHR services for women.

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Moving forward, this year is also when Forum celebrated the successful end-phase of its 5 year project, “Sustained National and Local Advocacy for Reproductive Health in the Philippines” or Sulong RH project, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Representing The Forum as the lead organization in this project, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Gates Foundation, and to all our government agency partners: the Commission on Population and Development (POCPOM), the Department of Health (DOH), and to the LGUs of Albay, Benguet, Cebu, Ifugao and Palawan. I’d also like to express our equal appreciation to the national CSO consortium which worked with us in 2020: Health Action Information Network (HAIN) and Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development Inc. (PLCPD) and; to our local CSO partners, Roots of Health (Ugat ng Kalusugan) of Palawan, Gentlemen Bicol for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (GM Bicol) of Albay, Bisdak Pride of Cebu, and Gayon LGBT Organization of Albay.

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The pandemic should not stop the work that we do in advancing sexual and reproductive health of Filipino families. This challenging year taught us valuable lessons on how we can continue our advocacy work as we face the new normal.

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BENJAMIN D. DE LEON

President