Philippines Approves Condom Promotion Plan Targeting Poor

Noting the "need to promote family planning and prevent HIV/AIDS through the use of social marketing techniques and resources," the Philippine government on Thursday approved a $45 million plan to promote condom use. The government's population control effort is largely judged a failure, in part because lawmakers in the largely Roman Catholic country are hesitant to defy the Church's ban on contraceptives and abortion. In a statement, the economic planning department said the third phase of the family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention social marketing effort will target the poor and those in rural areas. A poll conducted late last year revealed that only 30 percent of adult Filipinos use any form of birth control. Just 2 percent reported using condoms.

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