Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered government agencies to ensure free access to contraceptives for 6 million women who cannot obtain them, officials said on Wednesday, in a move expected to be opposed by the Church.
Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the intensified drive to make contraceptives available and ensure "zero unmet need for family planning" is important to reduce poverty. He said the government's target is to cut the poverty rate from 21.6 per cent in 2015 to 14 or 13 per cent by the end of Duterte's term in 2022.
