RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD AND THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACT

(R.A. 10354)

Responsible Parenthood and the Reproductive Health Act of 2012

- These acts include all necessary provisions needed to aid and guide families,
including rights of the youth and the unborn. According to this act
reproductive health refers to the holistic wellness of an individual, including
physical, ental, and social aspects of one’s reproductive conditions and
functions. Under this act, holistics reproductive wellness does not merely rely
on the absence or presence of a disease. It involves thenotion that every
Filipino individual has the right to be safe and be responsible in sexual
relations. According to this act, responsible individuals have the right to
reproduce and the autonomy to settle their sexual preference.

The RH Law has the following significant protocols:

1. For successful implementation of the act, accurate information must be
properly disseminated among citizens. They integrate access to reliable facts
through lessons in different subjects. These lessons include information
regarding reproductive health products and services. The information is to
enhance citizens’ awareness regarding medically safe and legally accepted
reproductive health care products and services.
2. The importance and continuance of life. Any occurrence, treatment, and
procedure made that will avert the life of a child is considered punishable by
law. One major concern of this aspect is the issue of abortion in the
Philippines
3. The family planning method is the advised practice of health care institutions
to regulate the country’s population growth.
4. Parents must consider responsible parenthood when planning a family.

The RH Law, even will all the above mentioned provisions, is rooted in the human
rights of every Filipino. The government is implementing the act but still promotes
equality and equity among different genders of society. The law gives all people no
discriminating demands when making decisions in accordance with their personal,
religious, moral, and cultural convictions.
REGULATIONS AND POLICIES ON SMOKING AND ILLEGAL DRUG USE

TOBACCO SMOKING AND USE OF ADDICTIVE DRUGS

Two important health issues faced by the government include tobacco
smoking and use of addictive or illegal drugs. Smoking imposes a big threat on our
health, specifically among young children. Drug abuse, as evidenced by police
reposts, has already led to a wide array of criminal cases because persons under the
influence of drugs can no longer think properly and easily lose-self control

Republic Act 9211, TOBACCO REGULATION ACT of 2003, regulates the use,
sale, distribution, and advertisement of tobacco products. In this act, the
government balances its provisions between the right of every Filipino to Healthy
living and the protection of the welfare of Filipino workers in the tobacco industry.
This act increases awareness regarding the risk of smoking by regulating
advertisements written on the packaging of tobacco products. In this way, the
government uplifts health consciousness and awareness among smokers, and at
the same time, protects the rights of nonsmokers.

The act aims to do the following:

A. Promote a healthful environment
B. Inform the public of the health risks associated with cigarette smoking and
tobacco use.
C. Regulate the labeling of tobacco products
D. Regulate and subsequently ban all tobacco advertisement and sponsorships.
E. Protect the youth from being initiated to cigarette smoking and tobacco use
by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors
F. Assist and Encourage Filipino tobacco farmers to cultivate alternative
agricultural crops to prevent economic dislocation
G. Create an Inter-Agency Committee on Tobacco (IAC-Tobacco) to oversee the
implementation of the provision of this act

Republik of 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002

includes the protection of the entire country and its people from the harmful effects
of using addictive drugs. This act also includes physical and mental protection
against detrimental effects of addictive drugs.
 a. Importation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential
chemicals
b. Selling, trading, administering, dispensing, elivering, distributing, and
transporting of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential
chemicals.
c. Maintenance of a drug den, dive, or resort
d. Being employees and visitors of a drug den, dive, or resort
e. Manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential
chemicals.
f. Illegal chemical diversion of controlled precursors and essential chemicals
g. Manufacture or delivery of equipment, instrument, apparatus, and other
paraphernalia for dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and
essential chemicals.
h. Possession of dangerous drugs
i. Possession of equipment, instrument, apparatus, and other paraphernalia for
dangerous drugs
j. Possession of dangerous drugs during parties, social gathering, or meetings
k. Use of dangerous drugs
l. Cultivation or culture of plants classified as dangerous drugs or are sources
thereof

THE CONSUMER ACT OF THE PHILIPPINES

As a consumer, Filipinos are covered and protected by RA 7394. This act protects the
interests and the general welfare of consumers by maintaining standards among
business industries.

The act has the following objectives:

a. Protection of consumers against hazards to health and safety
b. Protection of consumers against deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable, sales
acts and practices.
c. Provision of information and education to facilitate sound choice and the
proper exercise of rights by the consumer
d. Provision by adequate rights and means of redness
e. Involvement of consumer representative in the formulation of social and
economic policies
Agencies that Implement Consumers’ Rights
With all the different forms of fraud in the market and several trading
industries, including online transactions, consumers are the ones who suffer the
consequences of these unfair retail practices.

Such agencies include the following:

A. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
- DTI is a primary coordinator, promoter, facilitator, and regulatory arm
of the Philippine government on the country’s trade, industry, and
investment activities. DTI has five major functional groups, one of
which is the consumer protection group. This group enforces laws for
protection and provision of proper education among consumers.
B. Department of Agriculture (DA)
- DA is the government agency responsible for the promotion of
agricultural development by providing the policy framework, public
investments, and support services needed for domestic and export-
oriented business enterprises. DA offers different services including
the following:
A. Planning and monitoring
B. Policy research
C. Project development
D. Agribusiness and marketing assistance
E. Field operations.
- These services ensure the quality of agricultural
C. Department of Health (DOH)
- DOH is the principal health agency in the Philippines. It is responsible
for ensuring access to basic public health services to all Filipinos
through the provision of quality health care and regulation of providers
of health goods and services. DOH ensures the quality of foods, drugs,
cosmetics, and devices necessary for health improvement.
D. Food and Drug Administration Philippines (FDA)
- FDA works on the premise: “Finding the balance between innovations
and sound regulations.” This government health agency not only
recognizes the importance of research and innovation in health
products, but at the same time, it ensures their quality and legality by
implementing orders and updating consumer advisories.
E. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)
 - Included under the BSP’s responsibilities is the provision of policy
directions in the areas of money, banking, and credit. It supervises the
operations of banks and exercises regulatory powers over nonbank
financial institutions with quasi-banking functions. With the use of
online transactions in purchasing products and services, the BSP plays
a major role in supervising transactions made between consumers and
traders.

THE PHILIPPINE AIDS PREVENTION AND CONTROL ACT OF 1998 AND

THE NATIONAL BLOOD SERVICES ACT OF 1994

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE

- STD refers to the type of infections that are transmitted through intimate
contact that involves sexual activities. One type of STD is the acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS may be transmitted through unsade
secual contact. This may also be passed through HIV-infected blood, syringe,
and secretion. AIDS is considered to be the advanced stage of acquiring HIV.
HIV attacks the immune system; as a result, it causes the person to be easily
affected by other forms of diseases and infection.

Number of New HIV Cases by Month (2017-2019)

In 1998, the government enacted a law specifically for AIDS related cases --
Republic Act 85-4, also known as the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of
1998. “It is an act promulgating policies and prescribing measures for the
prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines, instituting a nationwide
HIV/AIDS information and educational program, establishing a comprehensive
HIV/AIDS monitoring system, strengthening the Philippine National AIDS council
and for other purposes.

The government has already made significant steps toward its prevention. It was
clearly stated in the act that the state has the following responsibilities:
a. Promote public awareness about the causes, modes of transmission,
consequences, and means of prevention and control of HIV/AIDS through a
comprehensive nationwide educational and information campaign.
b. Extend to every person suspected or known to be infected with HIV/AIDS full
protection of his or her human rights and civil liberties.
 c. Promote utmost safety and universal precautions in practices and
procedures that carry the risk of HIV transmission.
d. Positively address and seek to eradicate conditions that aggravate the spread
of HIV infection, including, but not limited to, poverty, gender inequality,
prostitution, marginalization, drug abuse, and ignorance.
e. Recognize the potential role of affected individuals in propagating vital
information and educational messages about HIV/AIDS and shall utilize their
experience to warn the public about the disease.

THE NATIONAL BLOOD SERVICES ACT

As a part of the intensive action of the government to control the spread of
the disease, particularly through blood transfusion, the state also reinforced
Republic Act 7719, which is also known as the National Blood Services Act of 1994.
This act mandates government agencies and other nongovernmental organizations
to uphold voluntary blood donation through the National Voluntary Blood Services
Program (NVBSP).

As stated in the act, the state has the following responsibilities:

a. To promote and encourage voluntary blood donation by the itizenry and to
instill public consiousness of the principle that blood donation is a
humanitarian act.
b. To lay down the legal principle that the provision of blood for transfusion is a
professional medical service and not a sale of a commodity.
c. To provide for adequate, safe, affordable, and equitable distribution of supply
of blood and blood products.
d. To inform the publce of the need for boluntary blood donation to curb the
hazads caused by the commercial sale of blood.
e. To teach the benefits and rationale of voluntary blood donation in the existing
health sujects of the formal education system in all public and private
schools, in the elemtary, high school, and college levels, as well as the
nonformal education system.
f. To mobilize all sectors of the community to participate in mechanisms for
voluntary and nonprofit collection of blood
g. To mandate the DOH to establish and organize a National Blood Transfusion
Service Netwoek to rationalize and improve the provision of adequate and
safe supply of blood.
h. To provide for adequate assistance to institutions promoting voluntary blood
donation and providing non profit blood services, either through system of
 reimbursement for costs from patients who can afford to pay, or donation
from governmental and nongovernmetal entities.
i. To require all blood collection units and blood banks or centers to operate on
a nonprofit basis
j. To establish scientiic and professional standards for the operation of blood
collection units and blood banks or centers in the Philippines
k. To regulate and ensure the safety of all activities related to the collection,
storage, and banking of blood.
l. To require upgrading of blood banks or centers to include preventive services
and education to control spread of blood transfusion transmisible diseases.

THE SEAT BELTS USE ACT OF 1999

ROAD SAFETY
Road safety is an important issue. Most Filipinos use public modes of
transportation; thus, it is important that everyone practice street cautiousness.
In line with this, the government enacted Republic Act 8750 (RA 8750), also
known as the Seat Belt Use Act of 1999. The act requires the mandatory use of seat
belts in all public and private vehicles. The use of seat belts can minimize any
damage that may be caused by vehicular accidents. Seat belts and seat belt devices
can save a person’s life during an unexpected mishap. RA 8750 particularly enforces
the mandatory use of seat belts for drivers and front seat passengers of both public
and private vehicles.

The state also assigns specific government agencies to implement the law. Here are
some of them:
a. Land Transportation Office (LTO) is an agency under the Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC), which is primarily responsible
in the enforcement of the RA 8750. The LTO is the agency tasked to include in
the implementing guidelines a system of vehicle registration that include
proper seat belts and seat belt devices installations.
b. Department of Education (DepEd) is in-charge of the proper dissemination of
information, in coordination with the Philppine Information Agency (PIA),
local government units, and other nongovernmental organizations.

For violations of this act, the LTO has the authority to impose fines against drivers,
operators, owners of vehicles, manufacturers, assemblers, importers, and/or
distributors. According to the Revised Schedule of Fines and Penalties for Violations
of Laws, Rules, and Regulations Governing Land Transporation that was approved
and released by the LTO.

The following are the penalties upon violation of RA 8750:

a. Failure to wear the prescribed seat belt device
- P 1000 (1st offence)
- P2000 (2nd offence)
- P5000 (3rd offence) and suspension of driver’s license for one week
b. Failure to require his or her passenger(s) to wear prescribed seat belt device
- P3000 (for driver and operator) of public utility vehicle (PUVs)

LAWS FOR DIGITAL SAFETY

TECHNOLOGY
We make use of technology in many aspects of our daily lives--
communication transportation, information access, health, education, and
employment. The use of technology, however, also has its advantages and
disadvantages.

Some of the advantages of using technology are the following:

a. Provides fast and easy means of communication through the use of mobile
phones
b. Permits easy dissemination of information on social media
c. Endows students with easy access to information
d. encourages creativity, because technology offers a wide variety of options in
completing one’s tasks such as presentations and online business
transactions
e. Develops advancements in the health industry through modern facilities and
equipment
f. Offers different ways of entertainment
g. Improves mode of transportation

NEGATIVE CONCERNS OF TECHONOLOGY

A. CYBERCRIME
- Refers to any offense committed through the use of an electronic
medium in which online communication takes place. This crime is
punishable by law. The government has enacted a law that covers
 many cybercrime offenses -- the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012
(Republic Act 10175). Some cybercrime include the following:
● Illegal access
● Data interference
● Misuse of devices
● Computer-related fraud
● Cybersex
● Unsolicited commercial communications
● Illegal interception
● System interference
● Cybersquatting
● Computer-related identity theft
● Child pornography
● Libel

B. CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
- Is a critical issue in the country. The government has also enacted a law
specific for this issue -- Republic Act 9775 (RA 9775) or the Anti-Child
Pornography Act of 2009. According to this act, a child is defined as a
person below 18 years of age or over, but is unable to fully take care of
himself or herself from abuse, neglect, cruelty, and exploitation, or
discrimination because of physical or mental disability or condition.
As stated in RA 9775, the government aims to do the following:
● Guarantee the fundamental rights of every child from all forms of neglect,
cruelty, and other conditions, prejudicial to his or her development.
● Protects every chld from all forms of exploitation and abuse including, but
not limited, to the following:
I. Use of a child in pornographic performances and materials; and
II. Inducement or coercion of a child to engage or be involved in
pornography through whatever means.
● Comply with international treaties, to which the Philippines is a signatory or a
state party concerning the rights of children which include, butnot limited to,
the following:
I. Convention on the Rigths of the Child;
II. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the
Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography;
III. International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182 on the
Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor; and
IV. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.