By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Occidental’s Talisay City emerged as the top-exceeding component city in Western Visayas in the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning Program for 2024, according to data released by the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) in the region.

Talisay City reached a record-breaking 10,200 individuals or couples under demand generation efforts — the highest accomplishment across all component cities in Western Visayas.

It also referred and served 2,924 new family planning (FP) acceptors, once again topping the list of new acceptors served.

These numbers reflect exceptional overperformance relative to its assigned targets, making Talisay City the top-exceeding locality in Western Visayas in both key indicators.

Bacolod City, the lone highly urbanized city in Negros Occidental, also posted a strong performance, reaching 5,862 individuals and serving 869 new acceptors, reinforcing its role as a key contributor to the region’s success.

“Family planning empowers couples to make informed choices about when and how many children to have, helping build healthier families, stronger communities and a better future,” the Department of Health (DOH) said in a public statement.

CPD-6 Director Harold Alfred Marshall credited Talisay’s success — and that of the entire province — to the “collaborative efforts of local government units, partner agencies, civil society organizations, academe, and other development partners.”

Negros Occidental recorded a total of 23,882 individuals reached and 17,542 new family planning acceptors, greatly contributing to the Western Visayas region’s 286 percent accomplishment rate in demand generation and 809 percent in FP service referrals.

The localities that also recorded new FP acceptors are Sagay City (with 1,551), Himamaylan City (1,450), Silay City (1,420), Kabankalan City (1,199), San Carlos City (812), Bago City (333), La Carlota City (212), Escalante City (146), and Cadiz City (136)./CJ, WDJ