CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6 Cooperation. Among these were a five-year project involving local government units in comprehensive women’s health and safe motherhood programs, and the development of family health packages addressing specific health needs of local communities. 452. In the Philippine fourth report, the UN CEDAW raised concern over the decentralization of health services that has resulted to inconsistent application of contraceptive policies, and suggested that appropriate legislation be enacted to ensure that family planning services are made available and accessible to women in all areas. In response, the Philippine government has adopted a policy that took into consideration population and reproductive health approaches that respect Filipino culture and values as well as equality between women and men. In this regard, the health department, through Administrative Order 50-A s. 2001, refocused its family planning program from a demographically driven program to one that promotes family planning as a health intervention to promote health especially among women and children. Meanwhile, no progress has been noted on the amendment of the Local Government Code about the permanent appointments of population officers. 453. The government adopted a gender-responsive population program framework with a reproductive health perspective to improve population planning and policy development. The Philippine Population Management Plan of the Commission on Population included gender equality and women empowerment among the major components. There are efforts to review the current program framework and revise it to incorporate relevant aspects of women’s health, gender issues and other concerns in both conceptual and operational terms. Efforts include the constitution of a Task Force on family planning/ reproductive health, the crafting of reproductive health indicators, and the establishment of Women’s Desks in police stations by the Philippine National Police to address cases of violence against women. 454. Through Administrative Order No.1-A issued in January 1998, the health department defined a reproductive health framework that incorporated ten elements of the Reproductive Health Package, namely: (1) family planning; (2) maternal and child health framework and nutrition; (3) prevention and management of abortion complications; (4) prevention and treatment of reproductive tract infections (RTI), STD and HIV/AIDS; (5) breast and reproductive tract cancers and other gynecological conditions; (6) adolescent reproductive health; (7) education and counseling on sexuality and sexual health; (8) men’s reproductive health; (9) violence against women; and (10) prevention and treatment of infertility and sexual disorders. Programs to address women’s health concerns 455. The health department has several major programs that offer services and other packages of benefits that are universal in coverage and given free of charge at all government health facilities. These are: a. Women’s health and development program. It seeks to develop a sound technical basis for policy and action on gender and women’s health issues; promote integration of gender perspective into health policies, services and programs; develop a database and test preventive interventions on emerging gender issues; increase women’s participation in the design, implementation and evaluation of health programs and 123