MANILA, Philippines - Instead of seeing some P250 million worth of contraceptive implants going to waste, the Department of Health (DOH) is looking at donating them to other countries if the Supreme Court (SC) will not lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the products.

Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said the implants are set to expire next year.

“What we are trying to negotiate right now is for the Philippines to donate these commodities to countries that can use it,” she said in an interview yesterday.

In June 2015, the SC issued a TRO stopping the DOH from distributing the contraceptives “Implanon” and “Implanon NXT” under its reproductive health program.

The order was based on the petition filed by Family Foundation Philippines Inc. which charged that the DOH had committed grave abuse of discretion in implementing Republic Act 10354 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.

The DOH, through the Office of the Solicitor General, had already filed a motion for reconsideration with the SC.

Ubial added that the DOH is also coordinating with Malacañang “if there can be some appeal from the Office of the President to the SC to fast-track the review and lift the TRO.”

Last week, President Duterte signed a proposed executive order of the DOH which would enjoin the local government units to strengthen family planning services to achieve the “zero unmet needs” for modern contraceptives.

The order has nothing to do with the TRO but family planning advocates have expressed hope that it could encourage the SC to lift the order.

VP fears promiscuity

Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo has expressed concern over the plan of the DOH to distribute condoms in public schools and health centers, saying the move might only promote promiscuity among young people.

“I think it’s dangerous in the sense that it might promote the culture of promiscuity,” Robredo said in an interview in Cebu City on Saturday.

The Vice President said schools should instead educate the students on reproductive health and other related topics.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista has blocked the plan to distribute condoms in public schools in Quezon City for the same reasons.

The DOH came out with the idea to distribute condoms in schools nationwide to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among the Filipino youth. The DOH also noted that Filipinos are increasingly engaging in sex at a very young age.

According to Ubial, the youngest recorded HIV patient in the country is 11 years old.

Ubial said the DOH is not encouraging the youth to use condoms. The agency is only distributing it for their protection, and the condom distribution in schools would be accompanied by sex education. – With Helen Flores, Paolo Romero