DAGUPAN CITY, Feb. 22 (PIA) - The city government of Dagupan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Commission on Population (POPCOM) in Region 1 for the implementation of a localized population program.

POPCOM-1 Regional Director Erma Yapit, who signed the MOU with Dagupan City Mayor Marc Brian Lim and City Population Officer Malen Bernadette Pilon on February 17, said that the MOU aims to improve the reproductive health services in the city.

Yapit said the MOU spells out the roles of the city government in the intensified implementation of the Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP) in the local government units and the Reproductive Health Law towards the attainment of well-planned families and the achievement of quality of life especially among the underprivileged and disadvantaged segments of the population.

"This partnership would serve as a blueprint for more responsive programs that inclusively ensure the welfare and development of adolescents, youth, couples, and even the elderlies," she said.

Yapit also expressed her appreciation to the willingness of the city to work with the agency especially on the reduction of unplanned and teenage pregnancy among the very young adolescents.

In an information shared by POPCOM Information Officer Maria Cristina Martinez, the signed MOU would also mobilize other local offices and instrumentalities in promoting the three program components of POPCOM namely: Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning, Adolescent Health and Youth Development and the integration of Population and Development at the local level. (JCR/VHS/EMSA/PIA Pangasinan)