A group pushing for the realization of health programs, particularly the Reproductive Health Bill, has challenged presidential candidates to focus on five important areas that would help the Philippines achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc. (PLCPD) Executive Director Ramon San Pascual issued the challenge during the first of a series of multi-sectoral meetings that seek to encourage presidential aspirants to improve the country’s standing on health, education, environment, trade issues and issues involving children.

San Pascual said the meetings are geared towards formulating a policy agenda that will be presented by the PLCPD to the 2010 national election candidates.

“These areas should be given prime importance by the next administration if the Philippine government is serious in meeting the MDGs,” San Pascual said.

MDGs are a set of goals formulated by the United Nations for governments to achieve by 2015. It includes the elimination of poverty and hunger, access to education, gender equality, child health, reduction of maternal and infant mortality, environment sustainability,
combating HIV/AIDS and global partnership.

In Friday’s forum, Dr. Ramon Paterno of the National Institute of University of the Philippines said the Philippines lags behind neighboring Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and Korea in terms of health status, particularly in our life expectancy rate.

While the average life expectancy of the Filipinos has increased to 70 years, Paterno said this is still 15 years shorter than those of developed countries.

According to the expert, the uneven distribution of human resources in the health sector contributes to the problem.

He estimates that 70 percent of health workers in the country are employed in the private health sector, which serves only 30 percent of the population who can afford to pay for their health care. “There is really a need to have huge reform for universal health care and the time to start doing what should have been started long ago is now,” he said.

“Early on, these candidates must already make pronouncements on their programs and policies on how to meet the Philippine commitment on the MDGs once they get elected. The electorate should be more vigilant in such a way that we should now base our votes not on the personality but on their concrete plan of action,” San Pascual said.

The PLCPD official said the activity will be carried out not only during the elections but beyond it. He said PLCPD will check whether the candidates have really carried out the promises they made during the elections period.