This is the article I wrote for a medical mag and will be out this april =) "If you love them, plan for them" Deciding whether to have a child is one of the biggest decisions that a couple can make. Another child in the family, may it be the second or sixth, has a big impact on the lives of every family member. For many couples, family size is a lifestyle decision. There is no question that the Philippines have a population problem, with more than 80 million in population. That increases yearly by 1.8 million and at the rate urban centers industrialize, the rapid increase of number of people means the need for more food, more houses, more schools, and better social services. This only means that there really is a need for an effective family planning program to slow down population growth. The availability of family planning does more than enable women and men to limit family size. It safeguards individual health and rights, preserves resources, and improves quality of life for women, their partners, and their children. Well-informed and educated couples should be able to make reasonable decision and a choice they would be happy with.  In our country, the government is the only governing body that has the resources and capability to launch campaigns such as family planning. Executive Order No. 307 directs local government officials to implement the Philippine Family Planning Program with the aim to make available information on methods of family planning and to ensure that it is practiced on a voluntary basis. This also includes coordination with national agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private commercial sector. The government’s role is to ensure these methods are accessible and affordable to everyone. Methods should be promoted equally and offered to everyone. Family planning programs have developed innovative approaches to delivering services so that women and men who are interested in using contraception can readily find sources of information, assistance adopting method, and continuing support for contraceptive use. The aim of family planning programs must be to enable couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to do so and to ensure informed choices and make available a full range of safe and effective methods. The success of population education and family planning programs in a variety of settings demonstrates that informed individuals everywhere can and will act responsibly in the light if their own needs and those of their families and communities. Family planning services are an essential part of reproductive health care. It has saved the lives and protected the health of millions of women, men, and children. The government allocates free contraceptives to all segments of the society through distribution in public clinics. USAID has supported the country’s efforts to bring about major reform in health care delivery particularly on family planning programs by providing almost all the contraceptives that the government distributes. However, in 2002, USAID has begun to stop this donation and instead redirected its resources towards different family planning programs and activities. In 2002, USAID sought the assistance of Commercial Market Strategies (CMS) to assess the family planning market in the Philippines. Since then, CMS has been coordinating with various agencies providing management and technical assistance in support of the family planning program.  The CMS Philippines program included educating private medical providers on modern contraceptive methods to help dismiss myths and ensure that the patients receive accurate information. Educational materials and articles on key professional journals helps in communicating correct information to this sector. The program also encourages couples to visit their family planning provider and select the method of their choice. Campaign spots (on television and radio) presented professional and non-professional community members commending the virtues of a planned family as a means of having more time o love and enjoy one’s children.  Government health facilities provide contraceptives and counseling to a huge percentage of the family planning users in the country. CMS assistance help improves the quality and reach of services provided by local health facilities. Working with the Department of Health (DOH) and local governments, CMS supports other agencies to improve client access to quality family planning services at the rural health units and the barangay health stations nationwide. CMS is also carrying out an infectious disease program to control the incidents of sexually transmitted disease and combating the growing complacency regarding the threat of HIV/AIDS by supporting the monitoring of HIV/AIDS cases and education efforts to groups at highest risk of contracting the disease.  The role of the private sector in the delivery of family planning services has remained virtually untapped. CMS is helping expand private sector participation in family planning promotion and service delivery. It supports midwives and clinics providing affordable quality primary health care and family planning services to the working poor. CMS is also investigating the ways in which accreditation or certification of private medical providers and facilities can improve the quality of private-sector health and family planning services. A strong health care service delivery program, such as family planning, requires a strong enabling environment. USAID, together with CMS, is taking the lead in mainstreaming family planning as a social norm and increasing community acceptance that will lead to greater access to and better acceptance of family planning and maternal and child health service.