Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No._867

Introduced by DIWA Party-list Representative Hon. Michael Edgar Y. Aglipay

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Bill, based on House Bill No. 4689 filed by Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, Rep. Sol Aragones,
and Rep. Ma. Lourdes Aggabao, secks to establish and operate a local Population Development
Office, which will have the mandate to provide and ensure an effective population management
strategies and measures at the local level. The said Population Development Office shall be
primarily responsible in addressing the population development issues in the locality, specifically,
teenage pregnancies, unintended pregnancies, rapid urbanization, unmanaged human settlements
in environmentally hazardous areas, as well as gender inequality and discrimination.

With the continuous increase in our population, it is only imperative that we provide
‘measure that is at pace with the demands of time and dynamic enough to cater the needs of our
constituents, especially at the local level.

Thope that this Congress will approve this bill.

MICI ‘AGLIPAY
Representative, DIVA Party-list

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 887

Introduced by DIWA Party-list Representative Hon. Michael Edgar Y. Aglipay

AN ACT MANDATING THE CREATION OF A LOCAL POPULATION
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE IN ALL PROVINCES, CITIES, AND MUNICIPALITIES
AND PRESCRIBING ITS DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “Local Population Development
Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It shall be the policy of the State to:

(a) Promote inclusive growth by providing equal and equitable opportunities to all
segments of population regardless of age, sex, socio-economic conditions, sexual
orientation, gender identity, race, religion, and other social categories to achieve their
desired quality of life;

(b) Ensure that the needs of the people, generated through empirical and consultative
process, shall serve as the central consideration for all development initiatives
particularly in development planning, policy development, and resource allocation;

(c) Promote and capacitate couples and individuals to achieve their reproductive goals and
rights including the right to decide and achieve the timing, number, and spacing of
children in the context of responsible parenthood, informed choice, and respect for life;

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(d) Promote, ensure, uphold, respect, and protect the right of all individuals to migrate in
search of better opportunities and the provision of non-discriminatory services for
migrants and residents alike; and

(©) Promote and enhance the capacity of local government units (LGUs) for local
autonomy in ensuring the general welfare and development of all their people.

SEC. 3. Objectives. This Act provides for and shall govern:

(a) The establishment and operation of Population Offices mandatory to ensure effective
population management strategies and measures at the local level; and

(b) Address population development issues in the locality, which includes increasing
teenage pregnancy, high unintended pregnancies, rapid urbanization in cities and
declining quantity of human resources in — and out ~ migration areas, unmanaged
human settlements especially in environmentally hazardous areas, and gender
inequality and discrimination.

SEC. 4. Creation of Population Development Office. All provinces, cities and
municipalities shall create an independent Population Development Office to be headed by a
Population Development Officer. The Population and Development Office shall be provided with
full staff complement. Provided, that existing Population Offices or their equivalent under Section
488 of Republic Act 7160 shall be renamed and strengthened based on the duties and functions
herein below provided.

SEC. 5. Duties and Functions. The Population Development Office shall perform the
following duties and functions:

(@) Establish and maintain a comprehensive, integrated and updated population
development information system that contains household demographic and socio-
economic profile to be used in analyzing population needs and projecting service
requirements;

(b) Recruit, organize and mobilize Barangay Population Workers and other community
workers or volunteers for data generation, household demographic and socio-economic
profiling, and community health promotion and advocacy;

(©) Assist other local departments in generating and projecting population development
data needed in their planning and program development functions and provide technical
assistance in integrating population development needs and gender dimensions in their
sectoral development programs and projects particularly marginalized and indigenous
people;

(d) Design and undertake Population Development related services, studies and researches;

(©) Establish mechanisms for monitoring in- and out- migration movement and human
settlement patterns especially across eco-systems for planning and programming and

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formulate measures for the development of the migrants and development of effective
urban management strategies;

() Promote responsible parenthood and family planning particularly through the conduct
of Information Education Communication Motivation (IECM), demand generation
activities, and ensure provision or referral or appropriate FP services;

(g) Oversee, coordinate and manage the implementation of Pre-marriage counselling
(PMC) at the local level pursuant to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of
the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012;

(h) Formulate and implement measures to prevent unintended pregnancies among young
people and promote adolescent health and youth development; and

(i) Exercise other duties and functions as may be prescribed by a local ordinance and legal
issuances.

SEC. 6. Setting of minimum standards for population development data and information
system shall be set by the Population Commission (POPCOM) with Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

SEC. 7. Qualification Standard. No person shall be appointed population officer unless he
is a citizen of the Philippines, a resident of the local government unit concerned, of good moral
character, a holder of a college degree with specialized training on population development from
recognized college or university, and a first grade civil service eligible or its equivalent. He must
have experience in the implementation of programs on population development or responsible
parenthood for at least five (5) years in the case of the provincial or city population officer, and
three (3) years in the case of the municipal population officer.

SEC. 8. Salary. The Population Development Officer shall receive a minimum monthly
compensation commensurate to that of other local department heads and shall be adjusted
according to relevant future statutory provisions on salaries of public officials and employees.

SEC. 9. Staffing Pattern, The staffing pattern and plantilla positions of the Population
Development Office shall be determined by the local Sanggunian through an approved ordinance
or executive order based on qualification standards by the Civil Service Commission. Salaries for
population Officers and personnel shall be exempted from the general limitations cited in Rule
XXXIV, Article 20 of the Local Government Code.

SEC. 10. Capacitating the Local Population Development Office. The Commission on
Population and other relevant agencies through its regional offices shall provide technical
assistance in capacitating the local population development office for the effective performance of
their duties and functions.

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SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The POPCOM, as head agency, in
coordination with the Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government
(DILG), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA), League of Cities in the Philippines (LCP), League of Provinces in the Philippines (LPP),
League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), Liga ng Barangay, and two (2)
representatives from non-government organizations (NGOs), will formulate the Implementing
Rules and Regulations, within ninety (90) days from the approval of this Act.

SEC. 12. Appropriation. The budget and allocation for the operation of the Population and
Development Office shall, upon the effectivity of this Act, be accordingly approved and provide
by the Local Sanggunian.

SEC. 14. Separability Clause. -If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or
otherwise invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not be affected thereby.

SEC. 15. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts
thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 16. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

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