DO IT RIGHT! campaign support for RH and Family Planning

"The 'DO IT RIGHT!' campaign is designed to encourage everyone to take those beliefs they already hold inside and share them out in the open, proudly, especially on social media like Facebook. By showing each other how many feel the same, in a positive, celebratory spirit, Filipinos can together free themselves of old inhibitions." ~Benjamine de Leon, Co-Organizer, President of The Forum for Family Planning and Development

DO IT RIGHT! campaign

It's not every day that we talk about sex or having sex with our friends and family especially inside our home with family members because reality is the topic is a bit cliche to talk and start within our country as a religious. Reproductive health is still a topic that most Filipinos are uncomfortable to talk about. However, the rise of HIV cases and unwanted pregnancies calls for much-needed enlightenment about sex and the use of contraceptives.

DO IT RIGHT! campaign

Do It Right! is an open campaign that aims to reduce embarrassment as a barrier to contraceptive use, positivize sex as a natural and healthy part of human relationships, and rally together the “silent majority” of Filipinos who support RH.

Held during the event discussion for better reproductive health, the #DoItRight campaign advocates that Filipinos have the freedom to practice safe sex and responsible contraceptive use. It aims to educate the public and help them make wiser decisions regarding health and safety. With a guest keynote speech from Commission on Population Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez.    

Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III, Undersecretary - Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) 

"Comes at a crucial time when the government is also increasing its efforts to fully implement the law." ~Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III, Undersecretary - Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM)

A coalition of 11 organizations launched a campaign urging Filipinos to show their support openly for family planning and reproductive health (RH), with the 'DO IT RIGHT!' slogan and distinctive hand sign. It encourages couples and individuals to flash the Do It Right! hand sign in selfie posts or in public.

Guest of Honor, Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III, Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) (Center) is joined for a photo-op by the representatives of the member organizations of the ‘Do It Right!’ coalition, (L-R) Sarah de Leon, Vice President – Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines, Inc. (IMAP), Beth Dumaran, Vice President – Midwives Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. (MFPI), Jona Turalde, Champion – SheDecides Philippines, Ronivin Garcia Pagtakhan, Founder/Executive Director – LoveYourself, Inc., Hyam Asher Bolande, Chairman of the Board – DKT Philippines, Nandy A. Senoc, Executive Director – Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP), Benjamin D. de Leon, President – The Forum for Family Planning and Development (The Forum), Mensie Medalla, Vice President – Philippine League of Government and Private Midwives, Inc. (PLGPMI), and Diwata Paredes, Communications and Knowledge Management Specialist – RTI International.

DO IT RIGHT! campaign

Initial members include:

• DKT Philippines
• The Forum for Family Planning and Development
• The Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP)
• Love Yourself
• RTI International
• SheDecides Philippines
• The Philippine Society for Responsible Parenthood
• Four professional associations for the country's midwives

Two fingers held up together representing the members of a couple with a thumb in-between representing the contraceptive or safe-sex measures that strengthen their bond.

DO IT RIGHT! campaign

DO IT RIGHT! campaign

DO IT RIGHT! campaign

More than 70 percent of Filipinos support family planning and initiatives, such as the Responsible Parenthood and RH Law. 

"This is wide open. We invite anyone who feels this topic is important -- companies, famous Filipinos, anyone to come on board. The campaign is designed to gather strength over time." ~Hyam Asher Bolande, Chairman of the Board of DKT Philippines

DKT Philippines Chairman of the Board, Hyam Asher Bolande, explaining the 'Do It Right!' hand sign

Following the example of the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment movement that grew in North America as more and more women spoke up, the Do It Right!.

"It's high time for society to finally put aside fears and embarrassment about this topic and declare openly as the majority of Filipinos, together with RH is OK, that it's responsible. When youth and women are empowered, there will be no teen pregnancies, no early marriages, no unwanted pregnancies or abortions. When women are well informed, the fight against poverty is already halfway won." ~Nandy Senoc, FPOP Executive Director

Economists and public-health experts have long lamented the need for improved RH education and access to modern contraception in the Philippines, especially for the country's poorest. Religious-based organizations have protested the RH Law in recent years, but the law prevailed against court challenges and is fully in force today.

Benjamin de Leon, President - The Forum for Family Planning and Development

The campaign includes a social-media blitz, festival events, as well as advertising in traditional media like billboards, print, and radio. 

The coalition has set up a Facebook Page www.facebook.com/DoItRightPH/ to serve as the focal point for the evolving campaign, as well as the hashtag #DoItRight.

Pagdating sa Reproductive Health, let's #DoItRight ❤️, like-minded organizations, agencies, and corporations agree to #DoItRight.