Capiz passes landmark XDP control ordinance

ROXAS CITY, CAPIZ — The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Capiz approved during its 39th Regular Session a new ordinance creating a Provincial Program for the Prevention, Early Detection, Management, and Support of X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism, or XDP, a move aimed at protecting future generations and supporting affected families across the province.

The measure was authored and championed by SP Member Cesar Yap, chair of the Committee on Health, and his office described it as one of the province’s most comprehensive and forward-looking public health responses to XDP, also known locally as Lubag.

“This ordinance is not just about policy — it is about protecting future families, reducing stigma, and empowering communities through informed and compassionate public health leadership,” Yap said.

XDP is a progressive hereditary neurological movement disorder associated with Filipino ancestry, particularly from Panay Island, and it affects men far more often than women; patients can develop dystonia and parkinsonism as the disease progresses.

Under the ordinance, Capiz will establish a comprehensive provincial XDP control program, provide voluntary and ethical genetic counseling services, offer non-coercive pre-wedding education and family planning guidance, strengthen early detection and referral systems, expand patient support services, maintain a confidential provincial patient registry, create a research collaboration framework, form a Provincial XDP Task Force, set aside dedicated funding, and require implementation that is human-rights compliant, non-discriminatory, and culturally sensitive.

The ordinance places strong emphasis on voluntary, confidential, and non-directive counseling so that individuals and couples receive information without pressure and while keeping personal choice and cultural values intact.

“Voluntary, confidential, and purely educational — no one is denied marriage. The goal is informed choice, not restriction,” Yap said, clarifying that the pre-wedding counseling component is educational and non-mandatory rather than a condition for marriage.

With the ordinance’s passage, Capiz is positioning itself as a model province for XDP policy, a research partner in Panay Island, a pioneer in ethical genetic counseling, a leader in public health innovation, and a champion for families affected by hereditary disorders.

The measure also encourages collaboration with neurologists, hospitals, academic institutions, and international research partners to deepen understanding of XDP and improve treatment and prevention efforts.

For Capiz, where the burden of XDP has long been felt by families across generations, the ordinance is designed to pair awareness, counseling, and early intervention with stronger care systems in an effort to reduce stigma and help future families make informed health decisions.

The ordinance further directs the Provincial Health Office to draft implementing rules and establish a multisectoral Provincial XDP Task Force to oversee implementation.

The initiative underscores the province’s push for science-based, compassionate, and forward-looking healthcare governance, while keeping ethics and patient rights at the center of a highly sensitive hereditary disorder.