Kapuso host Drew Arellano received praises from a local government agency on population management and netizens after revealing that he recently underwent a vasectomy as a special gift to wife Iya Villania ahead of Mother’s Day.
In an Instagram post shared earlier this week, the “Biyahe ni Drew” host posted a photo of himself in a hospital gown, moments before the procedure.
Arellano captioned the photo: “Happy late and advanced Mother’s Day to my wife. 👻 #HappyVA-SEC-TO-MEEE 🎵 #snipsnip #SarapYungSedativeAh.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, a vasectomy is a form of male birth control and is considered a minor surgical procedure which involves cutting and sealing the tubes that carry sperm, preventing its release during intercourse.
Arellano and Villania previously welcomed their fifth child to their growing family which now consists of Primo, Leon, Alana, Astro, and Anya.
Following the move, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) released an official statement on Wednesday, commending him for exemplifying “male involvement in family planning” – as only few Filipino men in the country have undergone vasectomy.
Its statement read, “The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) lauds Mr. Drew Arellano, a television personality, for receiving vasectomy as his manifestation of love and appreciation for his spouse and family. This gesture strongly exemplifies responsible parenthood and family planning as promoted by the CPD.”
The CPD viewed this as a positive development amid the very low male participation in family planning, with only 0.1% of Filipino men choosing no-scalpel vasectomy, while women continue to bear most of the responsibility.
Prior to the recognition, Arellano had also drew praises from fellow celebrities, with many applauding him for promoting male contraception and for taking an active role in responsible parenting.
“Sa mga kalalakihan diyan, dapat ito tularan. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻”, Carla Abellana commented.
“Walking green flag! 💙✅”, family-centered magazine Smart Parenting wrote.
“Woooohooooo sooo proud of you pars!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️”, reacted Camille Prats.
“Thank you for sharing this personal choice. Legend! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽”, added Iza Calzado.
Netizens also lauded Drew on social media platforms with messages calling him “brave,” “responsible,” and an “inspiration” to other fathers.
“Now this is a real man & a good husband!!!”, reacted an online user.
“I salute Drew. It takes a real man to adjust for the sake of his wife and her health. Parang 1% lang ng kalalakihan ang gagawa nito. Most of the time, babae ang magsasacrife thru different birth control methods,” posted another.
“Big respect sa mga husbands na nagpavasectomy imbes na ipa-ligate si misis! Mas mabilis, mas safe, at mas considerate. Hindi lang yan respeto, that’s real love and responsibility,” a user on X commended.
“Drew Arellano underwent vasectomy and I hope it really gets more normalized among men. Let this be a perfect example. Kung tutuusin, kaya naman nila buhayin all their kids but he chose to man up and be responsible,” another X user wrote.
