These reports are collated by the secretariat of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (who is spearheading this initiative) and analyzed by a researcher and a security advisor. Depending on their assessment of the situation, the incident may be escalated to the board of eminent persons known as the Tumikang Sama Sama for conflict resolution.

It may seem like a simple set-up, and in many ways it still is. The daily reports for example, are sent to the mobile phone of the person manning the CHD local Secretariat and then manually typed and organized into a Word document.

But before this arrangement, there was no way of monitoring the incidents of escalating violence in the province of Sulu, which is known to many as “Abu Sayaff Land”.  The group of islands is not easily accessible.  Apart from the inherent danger the area is known for, currently, the only way to get there is via an 8 hour ferry ride from Zamboanga.  Movement between and among other islands is also difficult and can only be done by boat, which can take as much as 5-7 hours.

It may be too early to say just how much of an impact the PERVs have made as the CHD started this reporting system only during last May’s national elections, but already there were some clan conflicts that were already averted with the effective mediation of the Tumikang Sama Sama.

This is just one example of the way that mobile technology is helping improve access to real time information – a basic problem with huge ramifications for a developing country like ours, which is made up of 7,100++ islands.

I bring this up because a similar mobile platform model is now being used to create what is known as a virtual STI Clinic.

At the Women Deliver Philippines Conference last Sept 15-17, this was discussed by Wei Siang Yu, also known locally in Singapore as Dr. Love.

An offshoot  of the women Deliver global conference in Washington, D.C. last June which I also attended, I chaired the Youth Congress where Dr. Wei was also a speaker.

Dr. Wei founded a website called www.sexxie.tv, which has an interactive interface via mobile that allows the reader to communicate with doctors and health care professionals to get information about sexual health and even love and relationships.

There is also a virtual STI Clinic where they can take a picture of the problem area on their phone camera and send it in via MMS so the doctor can give a provisional diagnosis. It would not replace a clinical or prescriptive diagnosis, but it will serve as an indication for the person to seek additional medical advice, if needed. More importantly, it allows a person to consult a health care professional immediately without being hindered by feelings of shame and embarrassment.

Here we can see how mobile phone technology is being used as an enabler and quite effectively being used as a platform to give someone the anonymity and privacy needed when consulting or talking about a delicate topic like an STI.

In a country where giving out condoms is labeled as “vulgar and gross” and even the act of buying condoms is enough for the cashier to pass judgment on your character, the anonymity of a mobile consultation not only means privacy; it also means non-judgment and the protection of one’s dignity and human right to get access to accurate and frank sexual health information. 

In many situations, accurate information in a timely fashion can prove to be life-saving. In Sulu, it can prevent escalation of clan violence and displacement of many innocent people who may be caught in the crossfire. And in the case of sexual health, access to accurate information in a discrete manner can help overcome prejudice and discrimination that override our basic human right to take care of our bodies. The end benefit of this information is also potentially life-saving . STIs, if left untreated, can result in infertility and the early detection of an HIV infection makes  a huge difference in maintaining one’s quality of life.

Until the time comes when we can enjoy the benefits of “virtual sex” (for those born in the same era, there was Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock futuristic movie where sexual intercourse was only done virtually to prevent, as Sandra put it: “the unhygienic transmission of bodily fluids”) and be protected from STIs and unintended pregnancies, sexual health information via mobile phone should be explored to  give us another reason to advocate  and promote a new kind of “phone sex”.

        

I was sitting so close to Ashley Judd that I could peak into her light blue Birkin bag and see its contents (if you must know, the visible contents  were her pen, a notepad and pouch. She likes to take off her shoes and sit Indian style).

I even managed to speak to Christy Turlington–Burns and start what I hope was an interesting conversation.

But “meeting” these ladies at Women Deliver didn’t have the effect on me as meeting DOH Secretary Esperanza Cabral did.

I was tongue-tied. I stammered and stuttered and couldn’t find the words…and for a journalist, that says something.

But what does a journalist and sexual health advocate say to the one woman who made national headlines with DOH initiatives that nearly everyone had an opinion on and were deemed either to be bold and daring or innovative and out of the box — depending on which side you’re on?

What do you say to the woman who remained composed, level-headed and rational when bishops with vein–popping indignation challenged her to a debate about condom efficacy, and only asked one question:  when?

What do you tell the woman who was asked if she, in her good conscience as a mother and a Catholic would give condoms to her unmarried son, answered pragmatically, “I don’t have to. He can very well buy them himself.”

What do you say to the woman who could discuss risqué topics like condoms and sexual behavior with such…class?

All throughout the drama following the  giving out of free condoms by the DOH on Valentine’s Day, nothing seemed to ruffle Secretary Cabral or make her lose her composure. She was no ordinary health official. She was also a lady who managed what had since then been unthinkable – merge “sexual” and “health” into one word that was not charged with politics; not laden with morality. With her matter-of-fact, determination to live up to the DOH mandate, Secretary Cabral made “sexual health” stand for the basic human right of every individual to have control over their bodies.

What do you say when you’re introduced to such a woman?

“I’m such a fan.”, I gushed.  Yeah,  along with a couple of hundred other people on your Facebook page, I could have added.

Luckily, I gathered my wits quickly enough and began with the shameless plugging, “I founded a website called Sex and Sensibilities….”

“Oh yes!”, Secretary Cabral interrupted, as a flash of recognition came across her face. “I’ve been to that site. You wrote something about MDG5.”

Again, I was at a loss for words.

“Thank you for writing that.”, Secretary Cabral said.

“My pleasure. Thank you for doing so much to advance RH.”, I think was the reply that I mustered.

“Well, I only have a few weeks left. Let’s see what happens after June 30.”,Secretary Cabral replied, echoing the anxiety of many RH advocates about the June 30 D-day.

During his campaign, one of Noynoy’s platforms was RH. He’s not on Secretary Cabral’s Facebook page, but I hope he’s one of her fans, too.

        

But as it turns out, I would have the chance to meet Christy Turlington and actually had a lot to say. And it was all because of a documentary on maternal health entitled, “No Woman, No Cry” that she directed.

The documentary marks the directorial debut of Ms. Turlington and is in part based on her own personal birthing experience.

Shortly after she gave birth to her daughter, Ms. Turlington hemorrhaged. Thanks to timely care and intervention, she was saved. It made her think of all the other women out there who suffer the same kind of birth complications, but do not get the same care. “About 15 percent of all pregnancies will have complications, but not all women will get the emergency care that they need.” says Turlington.

“No Woman, No Cry”, which Turlington personally financed, is filmed in various parts of the world – in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Guatemala and the US. In Tanzania, a young pregnant woman named Janet has to walk to the rural health clinic which is one hour away. The clinic only has four beds, one mid-wife and one nurse.  On occasion, there is an attending physician.

In Bangladesh, 91 percent of all births occur at home. It is considered a disgrace for a woman to go out and give birth at a health clinic. Giving birth at home poses its own dangers, but if a woman should due to birth complications, it is considered a heroic sacrifice.

In Guatemala, “No Woman, No Cry” delved into abortion. Since abortion is illegal in Guatemala even in cases of incest or rape, women who have tried to undergo one are highly stigmatized. According to Turlington, she particularly chose this story, because in hospitals, there are wards of women who are denied post-abortion care because of the stigma attached to abortion.

Christy Turlington Burns answers questions about her documentary, "No Woman, No Cry". Other female movie makers were part of the panel.

After the film showing, I introduced myself to Ms. Turlington and told her that like Guatemala, in the Philippines abortion is also illegal even in the cases of rape and incest. I added that in the Philippines, abortion is a crime punishable by law. A woman who tries to get an abortion could be imprisoned for a maximum of 6 years and medical care practitioners who give her post-abortive care also risk punishment. Her eyes widened when I told her about this. “It’s sad that the similarity between the two countries had to be this.”, she said.

I wanted to tell her so much more. About how the poor women in Manila are outright denied contraception; how there are 4 babies born every minute and about haf of them are unwanted or unplanned. I wanted to tell her how similar to the use of an art, as with “No Woman, No Cry”, Sex and Sensibilities was trying to bring home the messages of sexual health and the need to assert reproductive health rights in a medium like the internet, all packaged in a sexy chic manner that girls would hopefully gravitate to.

But of course, there were too many people who also wanted to have their photo taken with Ms. Turlington, who wanted a copy of her video or simply wanted to congratulate her and commend her efforts on driving awareness of maternal health.

Our conversations about motherhood and other girl talk will have to be saved for another day, or may be never. When would be the next possible time that I would be in the same room as Christy Turlington?

Supermodel Christy Turlingtonn Burns and myself.

So I will go home with a picture and know that though magazine pages and fashion runways will forever differentiate us from one other, the more universal values of motherhood and the hope for equality for all mothers and their children once brought us together.

And if you think about it, these are issues all women can relate to — supermodel or not.

        

In my work – both as a journalist and a women’s rights activist, I have the awesome privilege of meeting and talking to some of the most amazing women who are  in equal amounts fearless and compassionate, strong and charismatic. Today’s conference guests and speakers were a force of nature. The plenary halls were brimming and positively charged with estrogen. : )

Former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet was one of the speakers at this morning’s opening ceremony where there were an estimated 3,000++ attendees. Ms. Bachelet was a former Minister of Health and Minister of Defense (yeah, you read that right) in Chile before she was elected president.  Under her term, Chile significantly reduced maternal mortality.

Christiane Amanpour moderated the first discussion of the plenary session entitled, “Celebrate Progress and Sustain Momentum”. Ms. Amanpour, as expected, asked hard-hitting questions like how we can address cultural and religious factors that contribute to maternal mortality such as early childhood marriages. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Thoraya Obaid cited her own experience growing up in Saudi Arabia and answered, “It is not known for women to have such a high position [UNFPA executive director), but my  father chose to empower me and educate me even when I was young as part of being a good Muslim. It all goes back to the way that we interpret and understand religion.”

UNFPA is conducting dialogues with religious leaders and communities in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan to discuss and present scientific facts about the benefits of investing in maternal health.

Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson spoke about how she championed reforms in Irish law which previously criminalized the buying and selling of condoms and making contraceptive pills to all women and not just those “who were married and sufferance from cycle irregularities.”

Ashley Judd recounted a story of a woman named Melody who she had met and befriended during a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo in her role as a board member of the Population Services International (PSI). Melody, was forced into sex work at an early age and suffered health problems as a result. When PSI first assisted Melody, she had never heard of contraception and her other sexual health rights. Melody was taught livelihood skills and is now working as a hairdresser. With her earnings, she is supporting her family and siblings. Ms. Judd underscored the importance of economic empowerment of women and linked this to maternal health. “Women who are economically empowered make the right sexual health decisions; ones that are right for herself and her future.”

And that was just the morning!

Lunchtime, we all grabbed a boxed lunch and a drink and sat down to listen to Melinda Gates, co-chairperson of the Bill & Melinda Foundation. Ms. Gates gave a very personal and touching account of her encounters with women from developing communities who and how they view giving birth. Ms. Gates gave a very powerful speech about how women and children are finally on top of the many government’s agenda now and how we should take this opportunity to take concrete steps to achieve maternal health goals. “It is not that the world doesn’t know how to save the 350,000 mothers and 3 million newborns who die every year,” said Ms. Gates. “It is that we haven’t tried hard enough.”

Ms. Gates is surely putting her money where her mouth is. The Gates Foundation is pledging $1.5 billion over the next five years for family planning, maternal and child health and nutrition in developing countries. It’s the second largest donation in the foundation’s history. (the largest donation made by the Gates Foundation was $10 billion over a period of 10 years for vaccine development for the treatment of malaria and other diseases).

I will end this day with the film showing of, “No Woman, No Cry”, a film which marks the directorial debut of Christy Turlington Burns and will write about that tomorrow.

In the meantime, I will marvel at how it still and always amazes me that women from seemingly disparate backgrounds are bound together by a simple wish which was poignantly summarized by Ms. Thoraya Obaid: “I want every girl, every woman to have what I have.”

It is a wish that is also perhaps an unspoken rule of sisterhood that binds all of womanity.

        

WASHINGTON, DC, 4 June 2010 – Women Deliver 2010, the world’s largest conference on women’s health and empowerment in more than a decade opened today Monday, June 7, with a call to increase funding commitments for maternal, reproductive, and newborn health by US$12 billion each year.

More than 3,000 representatives from nearly 140 countries will highlight the urgent need to save the lives of the 350,000-500,000 women who die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes each year, citing new economic rationale for investing in women.

“Women deliver enormous social and economic benefits to their families, communities, and nations,” said Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver. “We’ve made great progress on maternal health in many areas of the world, but our leaders need to realize that this issue is at the core of global development, economic well-being, and even national security. When women survive, families—and societies—thrive.”

Women Deliver will feature UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of HHS Kathleen Sebelius, former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, Melinda Gates, Arianna Huffington, Christiane Amanpour, Ashley Judd, and Christy Turlington. The attendance of the UN Secretary-General together with the heads of 5 UN agencies will be unprecedented for a non-UN conference.

The conference comes at a critical moment, three weeks before the G8 Summit, where host country Canada has made global maternal and reproductive health a major focus.

Cost-effective solutions to prevent maternal deaths already exist. The Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA estimate that ensuring access to modern contraception could prevent up to a third of maternal deaths. An estimated 215 million women worldwide want to avoid or delay pregnancy, but are not using effective contraceptives.

Ensuring access to skilled care before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth, including emergency obstetric care, is another critically needed solution. Access to safe abortion, when and where legal, will also help to reduce maternal mortality; currently nearly 70,000 women die each year from unsafe abortion.

Governments and donors have consistently underfunded maternal and reproductive health issues. As a result, few developing countries are on track to meet Millennium Development Goal 5, which aims to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters and ensure universal access to reproductive health by the year 2015.

Addressing the current maternal and neonatal mortality rates and massive unmet contraceptive needs with proven interventions would cost US$24 billion per year, or just US $4.50 per capita worldwide, about double the current level of investment. Such an investment would save 70 percent of the women’s lives and 44 percent of the newborn lives currently lost. Benefits would extend beyond health, to improving the stability and economic prosperity of societies and nations.

“We know what needs to be done to save women’s lives, and everyone has a stake,” said Women Deliver conference Co-Chair Dr. Fred Sai of Ghana. “We are calling on governments to double today’s investment in maternal health— a small price to pay that would yield extraordinary return. In a world of difficult problems, here is a major challenge we can rise to, and overcome.”

Maternal mortality in the Philippines 

In the Philippines, maternal health has also been labeled as a public health concern.  Every day, there are 11 Filipinas who die every day due to childbirth complications such as pregnancy induced hypertension, eclampsia and hemorrhage. These conditions are large preventable given the right medical care by a skilled birth attendant, a luxury that only 60% of women enjoy.  That means, that every day, 11 women needlessly die and many more children are orphaned.

Social inequity and unequal access to reproductive services are major factors. Dr. Alberto Romualdez, former DOH Secretary and current Forum for Family Planning looks at social indicators like life expectancy and maternal health in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao and says that they can be compared to the statistics of the most developed countries. While the same social indicators in other provinces like ARMM, Northern Samar are comparable to the least developing countries in the world, like Africa.

Currently, we have made insignificant progress on maternal mortality and we will most likely not meet our MDG 5.

DOH Secretary Esperanza Cabral and Likhaan Center for Women’s Health executive director, Junice Melgar will be among the Filipinas who will be speaking at Women Deliver.  Stay tuned to Sex and Senisbilities for coverage of this talk and conference coverage.

Let’s all do what we can to learn and prevent maternal deaths so that no Filipina will ever have to fear for her life when giving life.

 –With additional reporting by Ana Santos