Updates

This Women’s Month and Girl Child Week: PLCPD urges passage of adolescent pregnancy prevention, gender equality bills

March 27, 2026

As the country marks National Women’s Month and the Week of the Girl Child, the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) is calling on lawmakers to urgently pass long-overdue legislation addressing adolescent pregnancy and advancing gender equality. The call comes as alarming realities were raised during the first hearing on 17 versions of […]

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House Committee hears 17 bills on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention

March 27, 2026

The House Committee on Youth and Sports Development, chaired by Rep. Faustino Michael Carlos Dy III, conducted the first hearing on the seventeen (17) proposed Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention bills on March 17, 2026. Another hearing will be set when Congress resumes in May 2026. Commission on Population and Development Usec. Lisa Bersales provided a briefing […]

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DISCERN Project Forum marks milestone in advancing inclusive and participatory governance

December 4, 2025

The DISCERN Civic Engagement Forum gathered civil society partners, government representatives, and advocacy leaders on November 21, 2025, at Seda Hotel Vertis North, Quezon City. Organized by the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) and We Effect, with support from the European Union, the event marked a significant milestone in concluding Phase 2 […]

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Legislators commit to pursuing evidence-based legislation in the 20th Congress

November 28, 2025

Legislators committed to improving outcomes for adolescents through evidence-based legislation during the National Policy Dialogue on the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC), a landmark 15-year study tracking the experiences of 5,000 Filipino children from ages 10 to 24. The policy dialogue took place last November 19 at the House of Representatives, in […]

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Renewed hope as lawmakers file Teen Pregnancy Prevention Bill in the 20th Congress

October 28, 2025

Advocacy group Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) commends Senator Risa Hontiveros and Akbayan Partylist Representatives Perci Cendaña, Chel Diokno, and Dadah Kiram Ismula, and Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao for filing anew the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Bill in the 20th Congress. The Akbayan bill was filed on October 27th, while Senator Hontiveros’ […]

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Basey enacts comprehensive smoke-free and vape-free ordinance

October 3, 2025

The municipality of Basey, Samar enacted Municipal Ordinance No. 150 s. 2025 or the Comprehensive Smoke-Free and Vape-Free Ordinance. Authored by Hon. Ariel P. Duran, Chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Industry, this ordinance aims to protect the health of all the municipality’s constituents from the harms of smoking, vaping, and tobacco consumption. […]

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𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐂𝐒𝐄) 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 – 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚

August 7, 2025

Seventy-three (73%) percent of Filipinos are in favor of teaching concepts of sexuality, sexual health, and family planning in schools in an age-appropriate and culturally sensitive manner to help students make responsible and informed choices. This is what a Pulse Asia survey conducted in the last week of March 2025 showed. “We should not underestimate […]

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Where There’s Smoke: 5 Ways the Tobacco Industry Exerts Undue Influence on Philippine Policy

July 10, 2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬. One of the main reasons? We are not holding public officials accountable for conflicts of interest when they have financial stakes in tobacco businesses. With support from Vital Strategies, the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development […]

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