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Date Posted: 03:37:17 12/10/12 Mon
Author: IMRD
Subject: Dec 7-12, 2012 news



http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2012-12-09/883759/rh-about-depopulation-filipinos-canada-canadians-philippines
RH is about depopulation; Filipinos to Canada, Canadians to Philippines
FROM A DISTANCE By Carmen N. Pedrosa (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 9, 2012 - 12:00am
TORONTO — (While I was writing this column I got an urgent message from my colleague, Belinda Olivares Cunanan if I could write a few words about the RH bill and why Filipinos should oppose it and hold their elected legislators responsible if it is passed in the coming week.
Pro-RH bill legislators paint the picture that it is needed by the poor. Yet you need only dig deeper to realize it is a war against the poor. There is the age-old saying that evil does not present itself as evil but as good.
RH bill is the local version of how to depopulate the world through enforced birth control and the target is the most vulnerable and helpless part of society — the poor. Rather than help them with jobs and more equitable distribution of wealth those who are pro RH bill are bent on making the poor pay for their own misery.
The legislators, most of whom have enriched themselves in office, do not want to find ways to alleviate poverty. That would be against their interests. They have acquiesced to the promptings of rich and powerful nations who prefer the short cut — just eliminate the poor physically. For this there are ”international funds” available.
To have many poor is not the cause of poverty but of a mismanaged country and stronger, more powerful countries that want a greater portion of the world’s resources. It is about greed. That is the bottom line. We are being misled. The RH bill story is an imperialist strategy against the poor of the world. It is not to fight poverty but a prescription on how to wipe out the poor. There is a difference.)
* * *
Back to Toronto — With PAL’s expansion here, more Filipinos could be enticed to visit this off-the-track land of sub-zero temperatures (at least for me who thinks only US or Europe in this side of the world. As a tourist, I found Canada unique and so appealing. Many Filipinos have gone ahead and made it their home.
Philippine Airlines said Filipino-Canadians were among the largest visitor groups to the Philippines. Here are a few of the things we did in Toronto:
Still reeling from jetlag and cold, the group headed for the world famous St. Lawrence Market. All I wanted was a couple of bottles of pure Canadian maple syrup (Maple is the brand of Canada). But I ended up buying different flavored crackers fig and olive, cranberry and hazelnut, and rosemary with pecan. I was surprised to find Iranian dates in the market. The vendor gave me a taste — these were bigger and juicier than those sold in Manila. At the St. Lawrence market, they introduced me to “pairing” like drinking ice wines paired with dark chocolate.
National Geographic rates the St. Lawrence Market (SLM) as the best food market in the world. There are other equally good specialty markets such as the La Boqueira in Barcelona.
* * *
I thought I knew about wines until I heard about ice wines made in Toronto. I never heard of it. Ice wine is exactly that. The winery crushes the grape while it is what they call “midnight frozen” meaning cold at zero. That way you get the essential sweetness of the grape.
The first stop for our education on ice wine was the Jackson -Triggs where we were shown the ice wine-making process. Ice wines are dessert wines. We had lunch at another winery — Inniskillin — where they gave us a sample of Riesling to take home.
* * *
Niagara Falls did not disappoint as one of the natural wonders of the world. It was as awesome as described in books.
Did you know that the Americans fought the British on Niagara in 1812? It was a prized booty for which the two countries fought. The war endangered even the fate of Canada itself. For me, the awesomeness of the falls comes from the roar of the waters and that is how it got its name.
The Indians who lived in its vicinity called it ”Ongniaahra” meaning ”Thunder of Waters.” Ontario is within spitting distance of Buffalo, New York. It is a matter of crossing a bridge. We were still on Canadian territory but our roaming phones were already being greeted by ATT notices.
* * *
This report would be incomplete without a few words on mining in Canada. I met Roger Dimmel, the commercial attaché of the Canadian Embassy at the dimsun lunch with the rest of PAL inaugural group in a restaurant called Pearl Harbor. He said few Filipinos know that Canada is a major mining country.
It is. Here is a brief description of Canada’s mining industry. “Canada is now one of the largest mining nations in the world, producing more than 60 minerals and metals. The mining industry is a major player in Canada’s economy and contributes nearly 5% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Mining in Canada also accounts for 19% of the country’s total exports.
But more important the Canadians have been able to develop their mining industry because of the wisdom of its people and their leaders.
“Sophisticated equipment and leading-edge technology have vastly improved the efficiency and safety of mining operations in Canada, resulting in a safety record that meets or beats that of most other industries in the country. Through the use of advanced mining technology and best practices, Canada’s mining industry continues to work toward sustainability, seeking to minimize the impact of mining operations on the natural environment and the communities in which they are located.”
What we could do with our own mining advantages to give jobs to our people! Instead we have legislators pushing an RH bill for their own benefit.
According to this report, the mining and mining processing industries directly employed 363,000 Canadians in 2007. And more skilled workers are needed. Current estimates indicate that the mining industry will need thousands of additional workers each year up to the year 2016!
* * *
Speaking of miners, Pusong Minero through PMSEA Louie Sarmiento sent word they have responded to Director Leo Dominguez request for water purifiers.
The group also gave bottled water to Sarangani and Compostela Valley today. PMSEA is helping a Malaysian medical team who is in search and recovery operations. Among mining firms who have offered help are Oceanagold, Carmen Copper, Nadecor Philsaga, Filminera Lepanto Marc Ventures and MIT MGM among others.
•


http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2012/12/09/883705/lagman-predicts-house-approval-reproductive-health-bill

Lagman predicts House approval of Reproductive Health bill
By Jess Diaz (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 9, 2012 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author of the reproductive health (RH) bill, predicted yesterday that the House of Representatives would soon approve the measure.
The House is expected to finally put the bill to a vote on Wednesday.
Lagman based his prediction on the plenary votes last Monday and Tuesday that killed several amendments proposed by anti-RH congressmen, including Pablo Garcia of Cebu, Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City and Karlo Nograles of Davao City.
However, some amendments introduced by Garcia, Rodriguez and Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, who is also opposed to the bill, survived after Lagman accepted them.
“The voting pattern rejecting all ‘killer’ amendments to the RH bill introduced by critics is irreversible, as succeeding nominal voting registered wider margins of victory for the RH advocates confirming the results of the viva voce voting,” Lagman said.
He said in all instances, the majority sustained his rejection of “emasculating amendments.”
The rejected amendments included two proposals from Garcia that would have limited RH benefits to married couples and excluded unmarried individuals, and stopped the government from promoting RH services and products.
A Rodriguez suggestion that would have declared in the proposed RH law that fertilization is the beginning of life was also voted down.
It is a “subject wherein legislators have no competence, since even medical experts have no consensus, much more unanimity, on the issue,” Lagman said.
A Nograles proposal to drop the adjective “reproductive” from “reproductive health” was likewise rejected.
The Nograles amendment “is unwarranted because the bill is on reproductive health,” Lagman said.
He readily accepted a single Golez amendment, which would ensure that the country maintains a viable population growth rate in case the proposed RH law is enacted.
“The insertion of the phrase ‘sound replacement rate’ as an RH goal is to avoid a very low population growth rate or even a zero growth rate. Many western European countries, even Japan and Singapore, are suffering from very low population growth rate and their populations are now on a tailspin,” Golez said.
He assured his pro-RH colleagues that the agonizing pace of the amendment process this week would move faster next week.
“We assure a very methodical, orderly period of amendments in the next two or three session days. We still need page-by-page review. Then vote,” he said.
He said he and other anti-RH members are prepared to vote on the bill “sooner than later” after “a few more amendments.”
“We have reached the denouement of the RH saga in Congress. I am proud and happy that whatever the outcome of the vote, Roilo Golez has given his modest contribution to the fierce national debate. I am fortunate to have been part of the 13th, 14th & 15th Congresses where the RH debate gradually rose in crescendo to the moment of truth,” he added.


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/384881/philippine-poverty-and-reproductive-health
PHILIPPINE POVERTY AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
On Empowering The Filipino People
By FIDEL V. RAMOS Former Philippine President
December 8, 2012, 7:55pm
“The UN Human Development Index rankings among member-nations mainly depend on population quality, governance, poverty, corruption, endemic diseases like HIV/AIDS. Surely this is where Church authorities must expand their efforts -- instead of intruding into family bedrooms...”
— FVR, Manila Bulletin, 02 December 2012
ON the eve of the plenary voting in the House of Representatives on the RH-Bill, the Catholic bishops, priests, and sacristans were “text-blasting” Congressmen in the session hall of the Batasan Pambansa. The good prelates and their functionaries, however, should have saved their energy, compassion, and moral influence, and instead now focus upon the deeper problems of the Philippines and humankind in the 21st century, namely:
• MASS POVERTY, RICH-POOR GAP
• HUNGER, MALNUTRITION, HEALTH, LIFE EXPECTANCY
• HOUSING, SANITATION, POTABLE WATER, ELECTRIC POWER, UTILITIES
• EDUCATION SHORTAGES, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
• JOBLESSNESS AND LACK OF LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES
• ENDEMIC DISEASES – HIV/AIDS, DENGUE, MALARIA, DYSENTERY, ETC.
• ENVIRONMENTAL CALAMITIES, GLOBAL WARMING
• LACK OF MOBILITY, CONNECTIVITIES AND ACCESS DUE TO OVERLOADED PUBLIC SERVICES
• SECURITY IN THE STREETS, WORKPLACES, AND COMMUNITIES
• CORRUPTION, OFFICIAL ABUSE, IMPUNITY, ORGANIZED CRIME
• ILLEGAL DRUGS TRAFFICKING AND ABUSE
Catholics For Reproductive Health
If there are vehement threats of heavenly retribution being heaped by Catholic bishops upon lawmakers, it is probably because the CBCP perceives a consistent weakening of its influence on modern-day Filipinos. This could be happening due, in part, to the movement called “Catholics For RH.” Today’s growing momentum for the passage of the RH bill after 14 years of unceasing debate is a clear indication of the public’s growing awareness about the truth of the matter – despite CBCP’s relentless pressure on Congress.
C4RH believes that the Catholic faith upholds social justice and human rights, respects freedom and self-determination, promotes and practices fairness, and defends the dignity and value of individuals, of families and children, especially the poor and marginalized.
The nationwide C4RH movement envisions the fellowship of Filipino Catholics living in harmony with their faith and right to RH. Its mission is to organize and support fellow Filipino Catholics in understanding, appreciating, and promoting RH as a right.
The C4RH “Pledge of Commitment” is forthright and self-sacrificing in that it frontally challenges some traditional Catholic beliefs, thus:
“I am a Catholic. I believe in the sanctity and dignity of human life. I believe that reproductive health will save the lives of women, children, adolescents and youth, and people under threat of reproductive health infections and diseases.
“I believe in compassion and social justice. I believe that reproductive health will enable us to respond to those who are in most need of counseling, care and support especially among the poor, vulnerable and weakest members of our society, and in the process alleviate further poverty and helplessness.
“I believe in truth telling, openness and transparency. I believe that accurate information about reproductive health should be given to the public and not be distorted by religious and laity alike.
“I believe in being God’s steward on Earth and that reproductive health will promote pro-quality of life, responsible decision-making and affirmation of the goodness of the human being.
“I believe that reproductive health is consistent with our faith as Catholics and that the time has come to speak up in support of the passage of responsive reproductive health programs and services.”
Secretaries of Health Speak
In the present RH bill controversy, the incumbent Secretary of Health Dr. Enrique Ona and at least five DOH Secretaries before him – Cabral, Romualdez, Reodica, Galvez-Tan, and Flavier – have shown great courage and risked their Department budgets and professional careers by coming out openly for RH.
In a fearless declaration, Dr. Alberto Romualdez affirmed (Malaya, 21 November): “C4RH is a civil society organization composed of individuals who identify themselves as Roman Catholics by virtue of having been baptized as such.
“Its main purpose is to demonstrate that the majority of Catholic Filipinos support legislation mandating government provision of reproductive health information and services to all – despite opposition from the CBCP.
“This cause has struck a sympathetic cord within other Catholic groups in-country and throughout the world that are aligned with liberally inclined but marginalized individuals.
“The growing contacts with liberal Catholics who are concerned about the dominance of conservative extremists in the leadership structure of their religion has increased awareness on issues other than reproductive health. Many have come to realize that the unreasonable stubbornness of Church opposition to RH in the Philippines is linked to other problems that obstruct the passage of the Roman Catholic Church into 21st century modernity.”
Last 13 August, Secretary Ona appealed to House members to immediately pass the RH bill to help save the increasing number of Filipino mothers dying during childbirth.
He cited DOH figures that showed that the country’s maternal mortality rate increased to 221 per 100,000 live births last year, compared to 162 in 2009.
At the DOH’s 2013 budget hearing, Ona admitted that in the past 10 years the Government has made only “limited” progress in addressing the maternal mortality rate. He said maternal deaths are highly preventable, but reducing maternal deaths will require critical legislation.
RH Surveys
Pro-RH advocates derive their statistics on maternal/infant mortality, population growth rates and poverty incidence from field reports by the DOH, the Family Health Survey, and the National Statistics Office. A sampling of recent surveys reveals these convincing trends:
Test Statement #1: “There should be a law in the Philippines on reproductive health and family planning.”
NCR Yes: 83% No: 8% Undecided: 9%
Cebu Yes: 88% No: 5% Undecided: 7%
Test Statement #2: “The Church interferes in the affairs of the Government especially on the issue of RH/FP.”
NCR Yes: 56% No: 20% Undecided: 24%
Cebu Yes: 65% No: 21% Undecided: 14%
Test Statement #3: “There is a population growth problem in the Philippines.”
NCR Yes: 79% No: 10% Undecided: 11%
Cebu Yes: 66% No: 18% Undecided: 16%
Test Statement #4: “Population growth increases poverty incidence.”
NCR Yes: 81% No: 09% Undecided: 10%
Cebu Yes: 68% No: 19% Undecided: 13%
Test Statement #5: “Population growth slows down economic growth.”
NCR Yes: 71% No: 14% Undecided: 15%
Cebu Yes: 63% No: 20% Undecided: 17%
Test Statement #6: “Population growth worsens environmental degradation.”
NCR Yes: 72% No: 16% Undecided: 12%
Cebu Yes: 64% No: 23% Undecided: 13%
Unity To Achieve
That the Filipino nation is capable of unity and of achieving greater things for our country and people is recalled in the book “Silver Linings: 25 Years of the 1986 EDSA” (2012) which recorded FVR’s reflections on our peaceful People Power Revolution:
“People came to EDSA for a sole purpose – to share their dream of freedom for our country. I was at EDSA because, above all, I am a Filipino. It was a moment of supreme unification for us all, regardless of faith or ideology. We transcended the barriers of religion, political affiliation, and social backgrounds to be one in that great moment…”
Already, this country has suffered too much from political division and partisanship, and paid a high price for them. We have no doubt these will wreck this country morally and spiritually, if our people are needlessly herded and ranged against each other in religious strife as combatants or gladiators – Catholics against Catholics, and Catholics versus non-Catholics. We have not gone this far in our struggles for nationhood only to see its soul frittered away by religious attrition.
The 1986 People Power Revolution at EDSA was not a Catholic revolt. People came in droves to surround the tanks of the dictator and beat back his troops; nobody asked those at the barricades whether they were Catholic, Muslim, Protestant, or otherwise. Armed by the courage of their convictions, they seized a historic opportunity to give their all to God and country.
Our nation’s foremost interests must once again transcend the contrived barriers being raised to push our people into opposing camps. More crucial issues deserve our precious time, limited resources, and Filipino patriotism.
There is the issue of licking wrenching poverty; creating more jobs; and giving people better shelter, timely medical care, and quality education. There is the need for delivering basic social services promptly and efficiently to make the lives of the masses less miserable.
We are being humbled by nature’s onslaughts (like typhoon “Pablo”), too many crimes, too many slums, and too few schools. We are being divided by the scandalous gap between the very rich and the very poor.
QUALITY PARENTS, QUALITY POPULATION
Yet, we remain deeply committed to the cherished virtues of family and friendship, integrity and honesty, hard work and perseverance, competitiveness and endurance, and a boundless faith in God and goodwill among men.
ALL THESE – IF THEY ARE TO BE INCULCATED TO YOUNG FILIPINOS – WILL NEED QUALITY SERVICES, QUALITY PARENTS, QUALITY COMMUNITIES, AND QUALITY FILIPINO POPULATION.
Please send any comments to fvr@rpdev.org. Copies of articles are available at www.rpdev.org.

http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2012-12-08/882955/congressional-cheating-pass-rh-bill

Congressional cheating to pass the RH bill?
SHOOTING STRAIGHT By Bobit S. Avila (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 8, 2012 - 12:00am
Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the holidays of obligation in the Catholic Church. That the Blessed Virgin Mary was born spotless without the stain of original sin is a dogma that Christians believed when Christianity was embraced as the official religion by the Roman Empire. Even the Muslims adopted this belief of the Blessed Virgin Mary as it is also found and written in the Quran.
Later in 1854, the Catholic Church through Pope Pius IX defined the Immaculate Conception as a dogma. Four years later, in 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in a small village called Lourdes in Southern France to a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous and told her “I am the Immaculate Conception” a title that she did not know as it was a time when mass communication was in its infancy and Lourdes was so far away from Rome.
Today the town of Lourdes is visited by at least six million pilgrims annually… proof that Pope Pius IX did the right thing in making the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Catholic Church. St. Bernadette later became a nun and moved to the town of Nevers and when she died 30 years later her body was exhumed and it was intact and fresh as the day she died. Her body can be viewed in a glass coffin in Nevers. What more proof do we need? That the Virgin Mary always returns to earth to intervene and warn us of the coming chastisement when we reject God and his precepts.
Talking about rejecting God, this is exactly what is happening in this country today when pro-life groups were visibly alarmed when only a total of 139 lawmakers were counted against the minimum number of 144 members in Congress required to be present to deliberate the RH bill.
My good friend, Linda Valenzona who was with the pro-life groups in Congress texted me this report last Wednesday evening, “We started the day with hopes that more pro-life congressmen will show up to lessen the 7-vote margin of the other side. We soon learned that ‘suspending the session’ meant no journals and no written records of how the voting went. The antediluvian thumbs up or down for ayes and nayes are very difficult to track and record. Amendments regarding non-violation of religious tenets and on the beginning of life were nominally voted upon which anti-life congressmen used as a forum to insult the Church.
“Slowly we saw the pro-life base eroded. The voting on beginning of life was the last straw. The count for the quorum was the minimum 146 required but when the count showed 57 ayes and 81 nayes, Rep. Magsaysay stood up to question the quorum. Then Rep. Garin as majority floor leader suspended the session and at the same time Rep. Socrates moved for adjournment. Deputy Speaker Tanada was so confused he could not make a ruling and eventually left the podium.
“Some 400 strong pro-lifers under the leadership of Bishop Gabby Reyes did not want to leave for fear that the Deputy Speaker with his minions could just come back and resume the session and approve the bill. It was a standoff! We didn’t go until Rep. Rufus Rodriquez verified that the Deputy Speaker had gone home. Congress is cheating and we are all witnesses to this.”
Cheating in Congress? That’s a huge accusation. But then, Linda Valenzona is no ordinary person. Aside from being general manager of the Ayala Multi-Purpose Cooperative and director of the Ayala Foundation, Inc. she is also consultant for the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Commission for the Family and consultant, Pontifical Council for the Family. Above all, she has credibility and I believe she is telling the truth!
At this point, we have fought tooth and nail to stop the RH bill from becoming a law. This fight is money vs our prayers. But we live in a democracy and will accept it if Congress approves it. However, the process must be fair and honest. Is this too much to ask from our Congressmen? So we ask our pro-life friends to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception who loves our people and country so much.
Just as I was writing this piece, my dear friend, I got a text from Archbishop of Lipa, Msgr. Ramon Arguelles who sent this message, “On December 12, 2012, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protectress of the martyred Unborn, the Congress people will vote on the RH bill. Let us celebrate Mass at St. Peter Church, Commonwealth Avenue at 12:00H. Procession with Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Mediatrix of All Graces from St. Peter Church to the Batasan. Please invite a multitude to the praying of the Rosary! HR vs RH!!! Rosary versus Reproductive Health bill.” If indeed it was true as Malacañang announced that P-Noy would allow a conscience vote… why then does Congress have to vote via “Ayes or Nays?” The RH bill is one of the most controversial bills that Congress has ever tackled. It has divided our people and everyone is watching the events as they unfurl. So no cheating please!


http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2012/12/08/883003/palace-hits-bishop-linking-typhoon-rh
Palace hits bishop for linking typhoon to RH
By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 8, 2012 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang admonished yesterday a Catholic bishop for linking the devastation caused by super typhoon “Pablo” to the Reproductive Health (RH) bill instead of offering a helping hand to the government in assisting the victims.
“I would like to invite (Manila Auxiliary) Bishop (Broderick) Pabillo to join hands with us to pray for a successful search for those who are still missing and to pray for the people who perished in the tragedy. Now is the time for the good bishop to show God’s compassion and not speak of the wrath of God,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
“To quote Abe Lincoln: ‘With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right,’ the President has called on all of us to ‘bind the nation’s wounds’ brought about by the ravages of typhoon Pablo,” Lacierda added.
According to Pabillo, tragedy always seems to strike the country every time Congress tackles the RH bill and that he is not sure if that is still coincidence.
“Or maybe because God wants to send a message,” Pabillo said in an interview with Radio Veritas, adding that this message must not be ignored.
He also said the proposed measure must not be rushed or secretly pushed to be passed.
Last August, some bishops likewise noted that nature must be sending out a message every time the country would talk about the RH bill. At that time, heavy rains and floods affected various parts of the country.
Sotto not giving up
Meanwhile, one of the opponents of the RH bill in the Senate intends to spoil the celebratory mood of the measure’s proponents with a last ditch effort to rally support against the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III has a few tricks left up his sleeve, starting with yet another privilege speech which he will deliver next week.
According to Sotto, his speech would be directed at his colleagues in Congress and President Aquino, who has recently started lobbying for approval of the RH bill.
“This will be directed primarily at the legislators. Baka sakali matauhan sila (Hopefully, they would come to their senses),” Sotto said in an interview.
Just like in his previous manifestations and privileged speeches against the RH bill, Sotto would once again bring up what he believes is the true intention of the measure, which is to promote promiscuity among the youth, support the multinational contraceptive manufacturers and open the door to legalizing abortion in the country.
“All the organizations backing the bill are pro-abortion. Do they (legislators) even know this?” Sotto said.
The speech of Sotto comes at the heels of what the proponents of the RH bill felt was a victory last week when a number of amendments proposed by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile were voted down by senators.
Most of the amendments introduced by Enrile, who just like Sotto is strongly against the bill, would have changed the entire complexion of the measure.
Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano, the authors and sponsors of the bill, saw the voting on the Enrile amendments as an indication of how the Senate would vote on the bill when it is finally taken up for third and final reading.
Santiago said that there were at least 11 senators now who would vote in favor of the RH bill and that several more will join their ranks.
She said that she could already smell victory based on the voting on the amendments alone as her basis.
The House is also expected to vote on the bill next week and with the backing of the President, the proponents of the measure there are also confident of securing the numbers required for its approval.
Anti-RH Mass
Another opponent of the RH bill, Batangas Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, yesterday urged the faithful to attend the Mass intended to fight the measure at the St. Peter’s Church along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. – With Marvin Sy, Evelyn Macairan





http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/321007/sotto-admits-rh-bill-close-to-being-passed

Sotto admits RH bill close to being passed
By Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
4:27 am | Sunday, December 9th, 2012
“May God have mercy on their souls.”
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III made this statement as he played the “God’s mercy” card on reproductive health-bill advocates after Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago declared after last week’s period of amendments that there are enough pro-RH lawmakers to pass the contentious maternal health measure.
In a text message to the Inquirer, the staunch anti-RH lawmaker said the votes that kept “safe and satisfying sex” in the bill’s definition of reproductive health did not mean the measure’s passage was in the bag for its proponents.
He admitted, however, that bill is closer to being passed.
“The bill is being endorsed by proabortion groups. It will promote immorality among minors. Why do they want to do this?” Sotto said.
Sotto earlier said maternal and child care programs that the RH bill seeks to institutionalize are already being funded and implemented by the government through the Department of Health.
“All the things they want in the bill are all being done. Why do they want to make it a law? My final word will be ‘May God have mercy on their souls,’” Sotto said.
As to Santiago’s claim of victory once the RH bill is finally put to a vote, Sotto said “it’s difficult to say.”
“Senator Joker [Arroyo] is not with them. He is keeping his cards close to his chest. Now, why would we want to pass a law that half the country disapproves of?”
On Tuesday last week, all the changes to the bill that were objected to by sponsor Sen. Pia Cayetano and put to a vote were thumbed down by senators.
Santiago said the voting showed that the RH has a core of 11 senators that it could count on.
She also said the number could be more as Sen. Edgardo Angara was abroad on an official trip while Sen. Joker Arroyo was already out of the hall as the amendments were put to a vote late during the session.
“They do not want to accept the amendments. They want to keep it as a ‘safe and satisfying sex,’” Sotto said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, an ally of President Aquino’s and a supporter of the RH bill, said the target to pass the measure was before Congress’ Christmas break.
The legislature goes on recess on Dec. 21.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/12/08/food-production-not-rh/

The basic reason I sneer at those hypocrites advocating the passage of the reproductive health bill is not my religious belief. It is my contempt of their waste of time trying to limit our population when they should be concentrating on increasing our food production. I am pretty sure there would be no debate on the issue because basic logic tells us it is useless to argue on population control when we cannot even feed for our own people.
We must bear it in mind that we have a sizable number of people suffering from hunger. They are in dire need of employment, not necessarily for them to improve their lives, but just to be assured that by sundown, their families would have something to eat, and none of their children would go to sleep on an empty stomach. Such is most poignant because hunger now stalks a number of our people.
In fact, the debate on the issue of population is a fallacy that has long been exposed. Countries such as China, India and Indonesia have, for a long time, been pointed to as classic cases of countries where, accordingly, population growth has overtaken their economic development. For that, stereotype economists have written off prospects for economic development because of their runaway population growth.
No doubt, they were influenced by that doomsday theory of Thomas Malthus, a British economist who said that “should human population explosion increase faster than food supply, it would eventually reach a resource limit (overpopulation), and any further increase could result in a population crush caused by famine, disease, and war.” Today, his theory stands as fiction because those countries have not only been able to feed their own people, but have become net exporters of rice and grains.
Like Malthus, the believers of that doomsday theory failed to foresee that advances in science could result in increased food production often outpacing their food requirements. Thus, instead of seeing our bulging population as a problem, they should focus on how to make use of our abundant labor to generate more production. These modern-day Malthusian alarmists even failed to analyze the close link between food production and industrialization. Increase in manufactured and industrial products allowed these countries to sell their goods at higher value for them to import from countries that could produce food products at much cheaper costs.
That now catalyzed the truth about the comparative advantage formula of Adam Smith. Gradually, as they continue to advance industrially, they apply their technology to boost their own food production. This now explains why their food production has correlatively increased at a much faster pace. Many predict that in the near future, China, India and those newly industrialized states would not only be able to achieve self-sufficiency in food, but could even join the league of food exporters. We can cite Japan, which has a population of 127.3 million yet remains self-sufficient in food production. In fact, we have more tillable and arable lands than Japan. Why could we hardly feed our own people?
Notably, after the ouster of Marcos, our food production has rapidly declined. That happened because we revised our entire approach to food production by focusing on how to increase the price of our goods as our way to encourage food production. Succeeding administrations then began abolishing the subsidy on farm inputs for accordingly, that caused the price of rice and corn to remain low. Since the core of their opposition was to deregulate the price of the commodities, that to them would be a form of incentive to the farmers that in turn would induce investment.
Unfortunately, the price of rice and corn astronomically increased. Our leaders forgot that a steep increase in the cost of production would be beyond the reach of many farmers. The magic of deregulation did not bring about the fortune of increased income. Their misery was compounded because subsidy for irrigation, for the purchase of harvested palay, and the credit support facilities were stopped. These were factors that liberated the country from being a perennial rice importer during the time of President Marcos.
Corollary to that lackadaisical decision was the catastrophic decline in food production. Many farms became idle, existing irrigation canals were abandoned and left to decay, and the land reform program suffered tremendous setbacks as many beneficiaries opted to sell their lands. They did this notwithstanding the fact that their earnings lagged from what the workers in the urban centers were receiving under the minimum wage law.
Saddled by that criminally inspired inflationary monetary policy, importation became cheaper than farming, although at a terrible cost to our consumers. The “Dagupan rice cartel” that manipulated the price of rice before martial law was resurrected, specifically after the scrapping of the presidential decree giving the National Grains Authority the monopoly to buy and sell rice and corn. The rice cartel did not only regain control of the business; it regulated the supply to keep the price high.
As rice traders continued to choke small farmers by pegging the cost of their palay during bumper harvest, multinational corporations like Monsanto imposed a tight monopoly in the supply of hybrid seedlings, which seeds could not be replanted for another crop season. Worse, the hybrid seedlings, which were genetically engineered, required much water, and heavy dose of fertilizer and chemicals to achieve the desired result.
In the end, the ruined and devastated agricultural farmlands has caused unprecedented migration of landless and farmers with small landholdings to the urban centers in search of employment just to escape hunger that now haunts them and their family. For the swelling number of squatters that have become an eyesore to the hypocrites, population is now the ire of the RH proponents.
Look who’s talking.
rpkapunan@gmail.com

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