Angara urged for the Phl mothers’ protection

SENATE OFFICE, Manila, May 9, 2011-Senator Edgardo J. Angara urged the government for the protection and improved welfare of one of the most important pillars of society as the world celebrates Mother’s Day, explaining that there is a need to create an environment in which mothers can attend to the health and welfare of their children by making sure that these women have access to the needed healthcare and educational facilities and providing them with equal opportunities in society.

  

The State of the World’s Mothers 2011 study revealed that the Philippines had a Mother’s Index ranking—an indicator of a maternal wellbeing—of 49 among 79 less-developed countries which was conducted by the Save the Children foundation which serves marginalized children and families worldwide.

  

1 in 320 risks of maternal death during childbirth—a function affected by the number of children and spacing between pregnancies, health and nutrition status, as well as the conditions under which mother gives birth according to study, revealing that only 62% of births are attended by qualified health workers in the country.

  

Angara said that the number of maternal deaths in the country is decreasing but not fast enough to reach the Millennium Development Goal of reducing it by three-quarters by 2015.

The Senator said that there is a need to ensure first the welfare of a vital sector pertaining to the mothers who are the most important women in our lives to secure the well-being of our society as a whole.  

Angara also filed the Community Health Placement bill that seeks to decrease both infant and maternal mortality rates by establishing health centers even in remote towns and barrios. The bill enhanced access to healthcare that would boost the percentage of women getting pre and post natal checkups. 

In 2009, Angara had authored the Magna Carta for Women which was signed into law and now serves as the “bill of rights” for women in ensuring gender equality in the political, industrial and cultural spheres. (Jason de Asis)