Commission says certification alone is not enough as reports of stigma, poor access persist
By Benjamin Cuaresma
QUEZON CITY — The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) has called for sweeping reforms to the country’s Adolescent-Friendly Health Facility (AFHF) program, warning that government certification alone cannot guarantee young Filipinas receive the confidential, respectful, and accessible reproductive healthcare they are entitled to under the law.
Speaking before a Partnership Forum Learning Session organized by the Likhaan Center for Women’s Health in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), PCW Chairperson Ermelita V. Valdeavilla said persistent reports of judgmental treatment, breaches of confidentiality, and the absence of adolescent-friendly services in many communities continue to undermine the government’s efforts to protect the health and rights of young women.
While recognizing the expansion of adolescent-friendly facilities across hundreds of local government units, Valdeavilla stressed that accreditation must be matched by quality service.
“Certification should not merely be a seal on the wall. Every adolescent who enters these facilities deserves compassionate, confidential, and professional care free from stigma and discrimination,” she said.
The AFHF program currently provides services that include family planning information, prenatal and postnatal care, HIV and sexually transmitted infection screening, mental health support, and other reproductive health interventions tailored for adolescents.
However, Valdeavilla noted that some young female clients continue to experience humiliating remarks and judgmental attitudes from healthcare workers, discouraging them from seeking medical attention when they need it most. She also cited the lack of adolescent-friendly facilities in geographically isolated and underserved communities, leaving many girls with limited access to essential healthcare services.
Anchoring her position on the Magna Carta of Women, Valdeavilla emphasized that reproductive health rights begin long before marriage or motherhood, arguing that every girl deserves protection and access to healthcare from the onset of adolescence.
She identified four pillars that should define every adolescent-friendly health facility: strict protection of patient confidentiality, competent and trauma-informed healthcare providers, facilities that are accessible even in remote communities, and communication that is respectful, age-appropriate, and easily understood by young people.
To address existing gaps, the PCW chief endorsed policy recommendations developed by Strategic Public Health Engagement, Research and Epidemiological Standards, Inc., including the establishment of separate service areas for adolescents to enhance privacy, stricter accountability measures that could lead to the decertification of facilities found guilty of disrespectful treatment, intensified information campaigns in schools and barangays to increase awareness of available services, and the harmonization of policies governing parental consent under the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law with the confidentiality standards observed in adolescent healthcare.
Valdeavilla likewise assured stakeholders that the Commission will continue scrutinizing the use of local Gender and Development (GAD) funds to ensure that resources intended for adolescent health programs are properly allocated and effectively implemented.
Invoking the country’s pre-colonial Babaylan tradition of healing and community care, she underscored that safeguarding adolescent health is both a public health priority and a human rights obligation.
“Every girl who walks through the door of such a facility should leave stronger, wiser, and more protected than when she entered it,” Valdeavilla said.
The PCW said strengthening adolescent-friendly health facilities remains a crucial step toward ensuring that every young Filipina—regardless of age, location, or circumstance—can access safe, dignified, and non-discriminatory reproductive healthcare, while urging local governments and health institutions to translate national policies into meaningful services on the ground.
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