Advocates, public health experts raise urgent need to address period poverty in PH

Philip Jamilla

May 14

(On stage from left to right) Assoc. Prof. Maria Dulce F. Natividad, Ph.D. of the UP Asian Center hosts the forum's panel discussion as We Bleed Red Movement Philippines Founder Menstruator Gianinna Czareena Chavez, Nala Woman Founder Aiai Garcia, UP Diliman Department of Sociology Senior Lecturer Athena Charanne Presto, Hiraya Pilipina Founder Cleo Loque, and Department of Education School Health Division Chief Health Program Officer Dr. Maria Corazon Dumlao tackle issues and challenges in addressing period poverty in the Philippines. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.

Menstrual justice advocates and public health experts underscored the urgent need to address period poverty in the country, in a May 8 forum hosted by the University of the Philippines Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (UP-CIFAL).

"Bridging the Gender Health Gap: A Forum on Addressing Period Poverty in the Philippines," held at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium in UP Diliman, brought together stakeholders from different sectors, such as policymakers, health practitioners, educators, youth leaders, and development workers, in a comprehensive discussion on the issue of period poverty and ways on how to alleviate it.

"This forum signifies how far we have [come] at least in terms of recognizing that there is a problem, but much needs to be done," said Jon Michael Villasenor, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Specialist.

The forum speakers also discussed the key and decisive actions needed to address period poverty and its intersections with various issues on public health, labor and employment, education, and environmental sustainability.

An often-overlooked problem

Period poverty involves more than the lack of access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities, said Gianinna Czareena Chavez, founder of the We Bleed Red Movement, a campaign that aims to fight disinformation and stigma surrounding menstruation.

While period poverty is a health and economic issue that can hinder "participat[ion] in the workforce or in school," Chavez stressed that it is equally crucial to understand the cultural dimensions of the issue.

Period poverty is also "the lack of discourse, information and education on the importance of menstrual health and hygiene. It is the lack of or the misrepresentation of menstruation in all forms of media, and it is the continuous cultural shaming and silencing of menstruation in both public and private spaces," she stated.

Cleo Loque, founder of innerwear and menstrual care brand Hiraya Pilipina, raised the additional stigma around the experience of menstruating for transgender or non-binary persons.

"Kapag pinag-uusapan natin 'yung regla, we feel like this is a women-only experience—but it's not. Not all women menstruate, and not all menstruating people are women," Loque explained.

Ensuring the accessibility and affordability of menstrual products, as well as their sustainability in the context of human consumption and environmental impact, often poses a challenge for brands due to long-term health risks and concerns about waste management and disposal, Loque added.

"I hope there's a way in the future, maybe a collaboration with other green-positive menstrual brands, to produce something that is widely available, widely affordable, and also sustainable because Filipinos deserve that. Filipinos deserve better menstrual products," she said.

Aiai Garcia (third from left), founder of the menstrual care brand Nala Woman, shares her insights on the proposed measures for menstrual leaves as she joins other menstrual justice advocates and public health experts in a panel discussion. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.

Initiatives and challenges

Various government agencies have engaged in efforts and initiatives to address aspects of period poverty, although significant gaps remain.

Dr. Maria Corazon Dumlao, chief health program officer of the Department of Education's School Health Division, outlined some of the department's flagship school health programs, such as the WASH in Schools Program and the Adolescent Reproductive Health Program, as well as the integration menstrual health management in the education system to facilitate its popularization.

Education and public health are deeply intertwined issues, said Dumlao. "Learners need to be healthy so that they can be educated, and learners need to be educated so that they can be healthy."

In terms of policies, Athena Charanne Presto, a senior lecturer at the UP Diliman Department of Sociology, noted that the country does not have any laws or policies that directly address period poverty.

Even though certain laws and policies are in place, such as the Reproductive Health Act, initiatives by local government units (LGUs), and laws combating discrimination against women, there are also lingering challenges in harnessing them. Among them are: questions on the appropriation and spending of public funds and resources, the lack of effective enforcement mechanisms, as well as religious and societal influence in the policy cycle.

"Policymakers [often] don't see [period poverty] as an urgent issue. In this regard, we need to have a strong force from civil society—like civil society organizations, NGOs, the private sector, and the media, very importantly—to help us put it on the agenda and make it very public para ma-pressure ang policymakers to really look into it," Presto said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sarah Marie Huyong, municipal health officer of Tangalan, Aklan, joined the forum via Zoom, as she showed how LGUs can lead initiatives and forge partnerships with their constituencies to alleviate period poverty from the grassroots.

Dr. Huyong cited as examples the Tangalan municipal government's efforts for their employees, such as an ordinance allowing a two-day work-from-home setup for their menstruating workers, as well as a monthly provision of menstrual products.

"These are our small steps in alleviating period poverty in our community. Hopefully, after this forum, we can all take our own small steps, and to really take our small steps to collaborative efforts," Dr. Huyong said.

Stakeholders from various sectors such as policymakers, health practitioners, educators, youth leaders, and development workers intently listen to the insights from the speakers of "Bridging the Gender Health Gap: A Forum on Addressing Period Poverty in the Philippines," hosted by UP-CIFAL. Photo by Jonathan Madrid, UP MPRO.

For the panel discussion moderated by Assoc. Prof. Maria Dulce Natividad of the UP Asian Center, the forum's speakers were joined by Aiai Garcia, founder of the menstrual care brand, Nala Woman, as they exchanged insights regarding the use of social media in destigmatizing menstruation, as well as the legislative proposals for menstrual leaves.

Dr. Estesa Xaris Que-Legaspi, Director of the De La Salle University's (DLSU) LaSallian Center for Inclusion, Diversity, and Well-being, concluded the forum by discussing how the difficulties produced by period poverty is a multi-dimensional problem that concerns every Filipino.

"These difficulties for persons who menstruate pose a hindrance to progress and development from a personal and individual level, which ultimately will negatively impact the community and the larger society. This makes this concern not only for those of us who menstruate but a concern for everyone," Dr. Legaspi emphasized.

UP-CIFAL's partners in hosting the forum include: DLSU's Lasallian Center for Inclusion, Diversity and Well-being, the Quezon City Gender and Development Council, the UP Asian Center, the UN Development Programme, the UP Center for Women's and Gender Studies, the UP Los Baños College of Development Communication Department of Science Communication, UP Los Baños Gender Center, UP Los Baños Department of Human and Family Development Studies, UP Los Baños Office of Anti-Sexual Harassment, the UP Manila Center for Gender and Women Studies, and the We Bleed Red Movement Philippines.

The forum was sponsored by Cojo Philippines, Hiraya Pilipina, Nala Woman, and Sinaya Cup.