Use of modern family planning methods, which include pills, condom, female sterilization, male sterilization, intrauterine device (IUD), injection, diaphragm/foam/jelly/cream, mucus/Billings/ovulation, LAM, temperature, and standard days method, increased in most regions. Central Mindanao, Bicol, Central Visayas, and Cordillera Administrative Region registered the highest increases in the percentage of women using modern methods between 2001 and 2002. Meanwhile, the National Capital Region had a significant decline in modern contraceptive use.

Cagayan Valley posted the highest prevalence rate for modern methods (50.1 percent) in 2002, followed by Central Mindanao (44.1 percent). In the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, despite a 2.9 percentage-point increase in the prevalence rate for modern methods, the region still holds the lowest rate among the regions at only 10.5 percent.

At the national level, 35.1 percent of women were reportedly using modern methods, which is significantly higher than 33.1 percent recorded last year. The positive growth is attributed to the significant increase in the use of pills. Overall, the percentage of women who were using any family planning method, that is, modern or traditional, was 48.8 percent.

The 2002 Family Planning Survey (FPS) is the seventh in a series of annual family planning surveys conducted nationwide by the National Statistics Office (NSO). A total of 29,760 women aged 15-49 years old were interviewed in the survey.

Table 1.   Percent Distribution of Currently Married Women Aged 15-49 Years
by Current Contraceptive Method Used, by Region,
Philippines: 2001-2002