Revised Priorities of the Family Welfare Program (FWP)
- Transition from solely promoting family planning to broader family welfare services for workers.
- Ten core dimensions guiding labor and management implementation:
a) Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood
b) Education/Gender Equality
c) Spirituality or Value Formation
d) Income Generation/Livelihood/Cooperative
e) Medical Health Care
f) Nutrition
g) Environmental Protection, Hygiene, and Sanitation
h) Sports and Leisure
i) Housing
j) Transportation
Definition and Scope of Reproductive Health
- Defines reproductive health as complete physical, mental, and social well-being regarding reproductive system and functions.
- Reproductive health care includes interventions such as family planning, maternal and child health and nutrition, prevention and management of abortion and complications, reproductive tract infections, sexuality education and counseling, cancers and gynecological conditions, men's reproductive health, adolescent health, violence prevention, and infertility treatment.
Key Activities under the FWP
- DOLE, through the Bureau of Women and Young Workers (BWYW) and Regional Offices, conducts orientation seminars emphasizing reproductive health, gender equality, and nutrition.
- Formation of Family Welfare Committees (FWCs) in establishments with more than 200 workers.
- Capability building programs for labor and management leaders, FWC members, plant clinic staff, and peer educators.
Implementation Mechanism
- BWYW serves as program manager, providing technical supervision and support.
- BWYW issues a checklist of current FWP programs and activities.
- Regional Offices coordinate with regional bodies to foster cooperation among stakeholders.
- Regional Offices enforce Labor Code Article 134 and strengthen advocacy efforts.
- Regional Offices support reproductive health information dissemination and monitor national policy implementation.
Responsibilities of Employers
- Mandates establishments with over 200 workers to form FWCs with DOLE assistance.
- FWCs plan, organize, and implement the in-plant family welfare program focusing on the ten dimensions.
- Employers must support FWCs with resources and assistance, including capability building for leaders and health personnel.
- Encourages smaller establishments (below 200 workers) to also organize FWCs and implement family welfare programs.
Funding Provisions
- DOLE Regional Offices must allocate 5% of the annual Gender and Development budget toward implementing the FWP.
- Regional Offices may also use Working Youth Center Program funds for adolescent and youth health activities within the FWP.
Effectivity Clause
- The Department Order took effect fifteen (15) days after publication in two newspapers of general circulation.
This structural framework ensures comprehensive family welfare service delivery within the labor sector, integrating health, education, and social welfare dimensions consistent with both national policies and international commitments.