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The birth of a birth control shop, the “Pop Shop” in
the Municipality of Luna…

In was during her attendance to the launching of the Contraceptive Self Reliance (CSR) in Camp John Hay, Baguio City, that the Local Chief Executive of the town, Mayor Betty C. Verzola, gave serious attention to the problem of rapid population growth in the country specially in the rural communities. Though, in the municipality with only about 15, 000 people, population explosion is not that alarming as in the cities, the Mayor committed herself to support the program for she is a testimony of a family’s hundred and one benefits of right family planning, using different contraceptives.
 
Meanwhile, the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) took a lead also to support the program and launched the “Kung Maliit na Pamilya, kayang kaya’ at the Angono, Rizal. The LMP hand in hand with LMMAP bring the lady mayors into play as funnels for the implementation of the program.

As support to this, Mayor Betty Verzola, on May 18, 2006, signified her intention with DKT Philippines through a PopShop Franchise Agreement – to establish the Luna PoPShop, the first in Apayao. On May 24, 2006, the Sanguniang Bayan then authorized the Local Chief Executive to enter into the Popshop Franchise Agreement with DKT Philippines, Inc., a non profit and non-governmental organization, which intends to operate a franchise of Reproductive Health Products. The Pop Shop concept and system shall serve clients with their method of choice, providing them with quality and affordable reproductive health products such as trust classic, frenzy, depotrust, trust pill, lady pill and other products in an environment of good service and within a clean and hygienic setting. This project aims to support and strengthen the family planning and health services objectives of the municipality, and with the end goal of aiding the LGU to establish a cost-recovery system and sustain an income-generating mechanism which can be used to improve the services of the local government unit.
 
The Luna PopShop is housed at one corner of the Rural Health Center manned by the Rural Health Nurse and midwives in their respective catchment barangays. For those women who can afford, the products are sold at a minimal cost however, indigent women/families can avail of this, free, as it is subsidized by the LGU through its health services fund. The sales is being deposited at the LGU fund, and can be withdrawn anytime when purchases are made. Recognizing the importance of the project, other LGUs in the province are getting their contraceptive supplies/products from the Luna Pop Shop. The people as well are patronizing the products thus making this project effective and successful.
 
Although Apayao may be one of the least populated province in the country and very young province at that, the LCE thought that population growth must not be taken for granted but should be given attention while it is still manageable. Population must then be a given preferential attention by the LGUs before it becomes menace or burden to us. It is believed that controlling population can contribute towards attaining progress and prosperity in our respective communities and in the country as a whole.