ILOILO – Since 2017 the provincial government’s Provincial Population Office (PPO) has been establishing multi-purpose counseling and family development centers in different municipalities.
The goal of these centers is to promote family planning and responsible parenthood.
“Pre-marriage sessions give couples information and instructions on responsible parenthood and family planning,” said PPO chief Ramon Yee.
With this knowledge, couples are expected to build strong families.
Strong families make stronger communities, which in turn make a strong nation, Yee explained.
“These centers are conducive for counseling because couples have privacy,” he added.
In the centers are television sets and education-information materials needed in the counseling.
Couples are also asked to separately accomplish a “marriage expectation inventory” which will then be compared.
“If their goals vary, they will be enlightened by the counselor,” Yee said.
On June 12, the provincial government inaugurated a Multi-Purpose Counseling and Family Development Center in Santa Barbara town – the first to be opened this year.
Other centers opened in 2017 were in the towns of Alimodian, San Miguel, Oton, Cabatuan, Dueñas, and Concepcion.
“Our ultimate goal is to establish the same center in all the 43 local government units in the province, said Yee.
Commitment from the municipality is important. The local government must have a space allotted for it.
The Liga ng mga Barangay, meanwhile, is responsible for disseminating the significance of pre-marriage counseling in the villages.
“They will disseminate the program and encourage locals to have pre-marriage counseling, otherwise they will not be issued a marriage license,” said Yee.
Municipalities without the centers conduct pre-marriage counseling in free spaces in the municipal hall, such as session halls and conference rooms.
Yee, however, said the Multi-Purpose Counseling and Family Development Centers alone cannot provide successful pre-marriage counseling.
He said the pre-marriage counselors composed of officials from the offices of population, social welfare and development, and health should also be equipped with proper knowledge. With this, he assured that the pre-marriage counseling teams will undergo training.
“A good multi-purpose counseling center with capable, ready, and enhanced pre-marriage counselors make effective counseling, Yee said. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
