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Date Posted: 23:09:34 08/05/12 Sun
Author: IMRD
Subject: August 4-6, 2012 news

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/368649/un-pass-rh-measure

UN: Pass RH Measure
International Organization Weighs In On Divisive Issue
By ROY C. MABASA and CHARISSA M. LUCI
August 5, 2012, 6:40pm
MANILA, Philippines — Saying there is no better time than now, the United Nations on Sunday urged Philippine policy-makers to pass the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill.
“Current circumstances present this opportunity, and it is in the hands of policy-makers to make it happen,” the UN said in its statement on the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development Act Bill.
The measure has become a highly divisive issue in Congress. On Monday, the House of Representatives will decide whether to vote on the bill or shelve it.
Last Saturday, about 10,000 people attended the Catholic Church-led prayer rally at the EDSA Shrine to oppose the passage of the measure.
The UN statement is seen as big boost to President Benigno S. Aquino III, a staunch advocate of the measure.
Today the President will meet with 150 congressmen in a final effort to convince them to support the RH bill.
According to the UN, reproductive health “is not about population numbers” but “about ensuring a life of health and dignity.”
“Issues around the reproductive health bill have been addressed and clarified for over a decade now,” the UN pointed out. “Time spent discussing these issues repeatedly is measured by the lives of the 15 women we lose to maternal deaths every day.”
The bill seeks to make it mandatory for the government to provide free contraceptives.
Besides free contraception, it would also give the poor preferential access to family planning services in state hospitals, while lessons on family planning and sex education would become compulsory in schools and for couples applying for a marriage license.
The Church is adhering closely to the Vatican teaching which allows only the use of natural family planning methods like the rhythm, withdrawal and abstinence for couples to limit the number of their children.
In line with the same teaching, it bans the use of artificial contraceptives specifically the Pill, condom and intrauterine device which it considers as “sin” because they induce abortion.
The UN warned that the “hopes of future prosperity could turn to dust” if the country is not able to deal with the population growth by giving men and women access to the information and means to freely and responsibly exercise their human right to have just the number of children they want.
If current trends continue, as the country grows richer, the number of people living in poverty will increase, the UN said.
About 20 million Filipinos live in slum conditions.
According to the UN, urban population is growing at a rate of 60 percent, and it is estimated that by 2030, 75 percent of the Philippine population will be living in urban areas.
House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali M. Gonzales II said Malacanang has invited all 284 House members, along with other concerned groups to the 11:30 a.m. meeting.
“The President wants to share his thoughts on the RH bill. As far as I know, there about 150 congressmen who confirmed their attendance,” Gonzales said over DZBB’s Buena Manong Balita program yesterday.
The House is set to vote on whether to terminate the debates on House Bill (HB) 4244 or the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011, which has been subject to plenary interpellations since May 17 last year.
Gonzales doused speculations that during the meeting, the President will give a marching order to the House leadership. “The President just wants to share his thoughts. It is up to the members if they would accept it. I don’t expect the President will tell us how to vote,” he said.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the bill’s principal authors, said the measure has gained the nod of 140 congressmen during the voting.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, Cebu Rep. Rachel del Mar and Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres Gomez joined the Catholic Church in opposing the RH bil.
Whether it is called responsible parenthood or reproductive health bill, Congress ultimately needs to pass a comprehensive health program that would cater to the needs of Filipino women, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday said.
Cayetano said it is high time Congress passed the controversial measure even though some religious sectors have found some provisions of the bill objectionable.
“I think a majority of the senators agree that there is a need for this bill. Whether you call it a Responsible Parenthood bill or RH bill or by any other name, there are things needed by our people that are found in the bill, from education to the medical attention,” Cayetano said.
Dr. Felipe Medalla, former director of the National and Economic Development Authority (NEDA), said the problem of the bill is that it is sometimes associated with compulsory sex education which the Catholic Church strongly opposes.
“But I would really side more with the President. The RH bill is sometimes associated with compulsory sex education, etc. whereas the President’s point of view on this is more on responsible parenthood actually more aligned with what the bishops are saying. Except that the bishops are saying that the only acceptable method is natural family planning,” Medalla explained to the media at the inaugural conference on globalization, innovation and economic growth of the Angara Centre for Law and Economics.
He said an RH program would definitely be “a very important investment” for the Philippines given that it is a fiscally challenged government which does not have enough money for public health education and in a setting where the government has very little funds for the poorest families.” —with additional report from Hannah L. Torregoza



Aug. 5

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/368566/palace-rh-bill-will-pass

Palace: RH Bill Will Pass
Church-Led Rally Flays Controversial Measure
By RAYMUND F. ANTONIO and MADEL SABATER
August 4, 2012, 8:00pm
Braving persistent rain, Catholic Church leaders, religious groups and their supporters gathered at the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City yesterday in a show of force against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill.
A crowd of about 2,500, most of them wearing red T-shirts, listened to speakers denounce the controversial measure, whose approval in Congress has been snagged.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives will vote on whether to continue debates on the bill or whether to shelve it.
As the throng stood in the rain at the EDSA Shrine, Malacañang expressed confidence it has the numbers in Congress to pass the RH bill.
Manuel Mamba, head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO), said the Palace is unfazed by the opposition of some senators to the bill.
“This is already a very popular measure as far as our people are concerned,” Mamba said.
He warned the public against being misinformed that the bill includes provisions that would allow abortion.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the public should read the Responsible Parenthood Bill to determine its context.
“It would be difficult if their position would be based on misinformation,” Valte said.
“There are some who say that the President is for abortion. That is incorrect and that is misinformation,” she said.
Mamba said that if the bill is passed in the House, the Senate has no choice but to follow suit.
“I think we still have the majority support of the senators supporting the bill,” he said.
The Palace officials appealed to the public not to give the bill political color. Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had earlier gained the support of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) after expressing her opposition to the measure.
“We don’t want to politicize. We just talk of the merits,” Mamba said.
The rallyists occupied both lanes of EDSA, the flyover and a portion of Ortigas Avenue.
The rally was preceded by a procession of rallyists carrying images of the Blessed Mother.
Fr. Melvin Castro, executive director of the CBCP-ECFL, acknowledged the power of prayer, which he said can dissuade the country’s leaders and the people from supporting the RH bill.
“This rally is not about a show of force but rather a way to pray for them. It is the prayer that can change their minds,” Castro said.
Mass was celebrated during the prayer rally.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle exhorted the gathering to oppose the provisions of RH bill, which he said violated God’s commandments and the Church’s teachings on marriage and life.
“We are here to express why we believe the Reproductive Health Bill is not the solution to alleviate poverty and other problems in the country,” he said in an inspirational message.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, one of the principal movers of the rally, was not able to attend, but a speech he wrote was read to the crowd.
“We are fighting error because you might be misled. We are battling against contraception because we know it can harm you soul,” Villegas said.
Among the politicians who showed up at the rally were Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senators Vicente Sotto III and Gregorio Honasan.
Other prominent pro-life advocates were Palawan District 2 Representative Dennis Socrates, and former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.
The rallyists came from the provinces of Tarlac, Sorsogon and Laguna and the cities in Metro Manila and Antipolo.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has maintained that the RH bill is in reality a family planning measure meant to curb population growth.
The influential group believes that the bill will pave the way for legalized abortion, which the Church condemns as a grievous sin.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano said yesterday that the approval by the Senate of the RH bill would ultimately depend on its final form.
“I do believe that a woman should have available medical options, not abortion, available to her. Its passage really depends on the final form of the bill,” Cayetano said.
While many senators recognize the need for the measure, “the question lies in whether or not they find some provisions objectionable,” he said.
Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, a political ally of President Benigno S. Aquno III who openly espouses responsible parenthood, said it is time the Senate passed the RH bill. (Additional reports from Rio Rose Ribaya and Mario Casayuran)


http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/2480-new-noy-slogan-%E2%80%98no-baby-no-poverty%E2%80%99-says-church

New Noy slogan: ‘No baby, no poverty,’ says Church
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• Sunday, 05 August 2012 00:00
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PALACE SHRUGS OFF EDSA RALLY, SAYS RH BILL IN THE BAG
Calling the government program seeking to distribute contraceptives for free under the Reproductive Health (RH) bill a form of corruption, nuns and priests led thousands of Catholics in a show of force yesterday at the Edsa Shrine, a landmark that symbolized takeovers of past governments, ahead of an August 7 vote on the bill at the House of Representatives.
Leading the Catholic Church charge was Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, a spiritual adviser of the family of President Aquino, who made a pun on the Aquino administration’s “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” (No corruption, no poverty) slogan which he said should not mean “kung walang anak, walang mahirap” (No baby, no poverty).
Villegas, however, was not at the so-called prayer power rally against the RH bill and his message was read by Henrietta de Villa, a pro-life group leader.
Villegas said it is corruption that the government should cure, not procreation. The police estimated the crowd at about 7,000.
Villegas was a staunch supporter and friend of Aquino’s mother, Corazon Aquino, from the time she became President after the Edsa People Power Revolution.
Other bishops present during the rally against the RH bill were Bishops Jose Oliveros of Malolos, Pablo David of San Fernando, Pampanga, Gabriel Reyes of
Antipolo, Ramon Arguelles of Lipa, and Leopoldo Tumulak of the Military Ordinariate.
“Corruption is the cancer of the Philippines that prevents us from growing. When President Aquino called us his boss, we cheered, when he banned wang-wang (vehicle sirens) in the street and moral wang-wang in the bureaucracy, we followed his vision but contraception is corruption. The use of government and taxpayers’ money to give out contraceptive pills is corruption,” Villegas said.
The Palace shrugged off the mass protest as Presidential Legislative Liason Office (PLLO) Secretary Manuel Mamba said it would not affect the vote for the RH bill on Tuesday since House members have made up their mind on the bill.
Mamba said congressmen he had talked to were convinced of the need to pass the RH bill and that it received “overwhelming support” in the House.
On the Catholic Church allegation that the bill was pro-abortion, Mamba said it was not contained in the bill and it was an attempt to misinform the public.
“The claim that the bill is pro-abortion is not true. Let us not misinform our people,” he said, adding the government had an obligation to give the people choices about the size of their families.
Mamba also asked that the issue not be politicized, saying the bill was not about politics but about the future of the country.
Villegas in a statement sent to the anti-RH bill rally said the Aquino government should focus on getting rid of corrupt government officials, not of unborn babies through the promotion of artificial contraception.
“A culture of contraception looks at babies as reasons for poverty. Birth control, they say, means more food, more classrooms, more houses and better health for mothers. If more babies are the cause of poverty, are we now saying, ‘if there is no baby, there’s no poverty’?
“It doesn’t rhyme because it is not correct. We can have more classrooms, more food, more jobs if we would be less corrupt. Send out the corrupt official, not the baby,” he told the rallyists who were mostly the youth, as if telling Aquino what to do.
Villegas vowed to join the fight against the passage of the RH bill in Congress, saying the fight was more to correct the misconception that the children were a mistake and not a blessing.
“My dear youth, your birth is not a mistake, your birth was God’s gift to us your elders. You are not the problem, you are our blessing. The problem is the corruption of your elders, your elders must change for your future can be brighter,” Villegas said.
“I am standing to defend you. We are fighting the error because you might be misled. We are battling against corruption because we know it can harm your soul, believe me, contraception harms your soul,” he added.
Villegas subtly reminded the government that if the RH bill werepassed into law under the Aquino administration, his legacy would be a “contraceptive generation, which will eventually give birth to an abortion generation.”
“If a contraceptive pill is to be considered an essential medicine, what sickness is it curing? Is pregnancy a sickness? Why is it that women get sick with cancer after taking the contraceptive pill? My dear youth, contraception, makes healthy people sick,” he added.
Villegas also warned government economic advisers that population control would not make the Philippines a tiger economy in Asia.
“We want to be a tiger economy in Asia like our neighbors but what is a tiger without teeth? What is progress without our laughing children? For whom do we envision progress? What is victory at the expense of the mortal soul?” he asked.
Though he did not direct his message to President Aquino, the prelate vowed to fight anyone who would push for the passage of the RH bill.
“We shall fight contraception or we will perish as a godly nation. Youth of the Philippines, because I love you, I will fight contraception. This battle is for you and I fight for the love of you,” Villegas added.
The protesters, mainly dressed in red, gathered to voice out opposition to the planned legislation, which would also encourage families to have only two children in an effort to reduce poverty.
The proposal, which is expected to face a tough time getting through parliament, has angered the influential Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines which has led opposition and called Saturday’s protest.
Dolly Cruz, a 61-year-old pensioner, attacked the proposal as “contrary to the laws of God.”
“God gave humans the power of reason to decide what is right and what is wrong for themselves,” she said.
Aquino has strongly backed the law, saying in a statement before the rally that in a situation where couples “are in no position to make an informed judgement, the state has the responsibility to so provide.”
The Philippine annual birth rate has been steadily declining, but the government points out that some of the poorest regions have the highest birth rates.
The law would use a government health insurance fund to provide birth control pills, condoms and other contraceptives for free.
It would give the poor preferential access to family planning services in state hospitals, while lessons on family planning and sex education would become compulsory in schools and for couples applying for a marriage licence.
The House, dominated by Aquino supporters, is expected to pass the bill on Tuesday after failing to do so last year.
But the Senate, parliament’s upper house, must also pass the law and has come out strongly against it.
Both abortion and divorce remain illegal in the predominantly Catholic Philippines.
Organizers said the rally was intended to show Congress that many Filipinos were against the consolidated reproductive health bill, which has since been described as responsible parenthood bill.
Eastern Police District Deputy Director Sr. Supt. Antonio Gumiran described the rally as “peaceful and orderly” in mid-afternoon.
The consolidated RH bill has become controversial, opposed by concerned citizens, especially the pro-life, pro-family and pro-God groups, regardless of creed or religion.
Pro-life groups, and many professionals in the medical and nursing fields, believe physicians and policy makers should understand and respect the beliefs of patients who consider human life to be present and valuable from the moment of fertilization.
Patients should be made fully aware of this information so that they can consent to or refuse the use of artificial contraceptives, some said. With Jason Faustino


Aug. 4

http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/top-stories/35431-former-ally-scores-gloria-over-rh

Former ally scores Gloria over RH
•
•
Published : Saturday, August 04, 2012 00:00
Article Views : 179
Written by : Jester P. Manalastas

ALBAY Rep. Edcel Lagman again hit his former ally, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for her stance against the Reproductive Health Bill which is contrary to the support she had given to international groups advocating RH during her presidency.

According Lagman, Arroyo in behalf of the Philippine government, is one of the signatories in a Statement of Support for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).

He said the Philippines was among the 179 countries which were signatories to the ICPD Program of Action 18 years ago.

Arroyo then supported at least the ICPD on four pillars, namely: responsible parenthood; respect for life or policy against abortion; birth spacing and informed choice.

All of these fundamentals are the foundation of the Reproductive Health Bill, Lagman said.

The Statement of Support “promotes Responsible Parenthood, which is the will and ability to respond to the needs and aspirations of the family. It promotes the freedom of responsible parents to decide on the timing and size of their families in pursuit of a better life.”

Lagman pointed out that the statement is identical to the definition and import of responsible parenthood as provided for in the RH Bill.

The solon stressed that the commitment against abortion is repeatedly provided for in the RH bill when it emphasizes that abortion is illegal, punishable and is not a prescribed method of family planning.

The right of parents to freely and responsibly determine the number and spacing of their children is among the basic human rights being protected and promoted by the RH Bill, Lagman stressed.

Likewise, the freedom of informed choice accorded to parents, couples and women is central to the RH Bill and the statement of support.

Lagman said that since former President Arroyo’s Statement of Support for ICPD parallels the provisions of the RH Bill, she has no reason to reject the measure.

Earlier, some members of the Minority withdrew their co-authorship of the RH measure.

Lagman said the withdrawal is a mere partisan support for former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s opposition to the controversial measure.


http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/08/04/church-calls-on-people-to-defend-life/

Church calls on people to defend life
By Vito Barcelo | Posted on August 04, 2012 | 12:01am | 577 views

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Today’s prayer rally a show of force vs RH

Edsa Shrine
The Catholic church on Friday called on the faithful to stand up for life in a prayer rally at the Edsa Shrine today to oppose the Reproductive Health bill that Congress will vote on next week.
Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines would lead the rally to oppose the provisions of House Bill 4244 that violated God’s commandments and the Church’s teachings on marriage and life.
He said the Church supported the program for responsible parenthood as long as it respected the dignity of marriage and the right to life and its provisions were in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Malacañang, meanwhile, on Friday appeared to see no need for a fresh round of talks with the CBCP amid the debates on the RH bill.
“At this point, the President has made his position known,” deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said.
“At the President has said, we are all pro-life and the President is against abortion.”

A mother’s love. A young mother hugs her new-born child at the Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital as the debate rages in Congress on the reproducutive health bill. Photo at left shows vials of injectable contraceptive that are being distributed in government community clinics. DANNY PATA
But a congressman on Friday said Mr. Aquino’s allies in the House were divided on the RH bill, and that absences could mar the crucial voting on Tuesday to decided on fate of the measure.
“The majority is divided on the RH bill, Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said.
“While I am pro-RH, my greater responsibility as majority leader puts me in a dilemma [because] I would go up against the majority [who are not pro-RH but] whose support I will need in shepherding other measures of equal importance.”
To ensure a quorum next week, the House leadership has launched a text brigade so that all the 284 House members will attend the sessions especially on Aug. 7, when the House votes on the termination of interpellation on the RH bill.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he was hopeful they would have enough warm bodies to determine the fate of the RH bill.
“I am confident that we will have a quorum on Tuesday,” Belmonte said.
“The House members have responded very well to the House brigade.”
But Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua, a member of the opposition who withdrew his support of the RH bill, said Congress would have a hard time having the bill enacted into law because the “strong objections from the Catholic Church.”
Lagdameo, meanwhile, on Friday also encouraged those who could not join the rally to participate in the Holy Hour celebrated in all parishes and which started Aug. 3, the First Friday of the month, and would end on Aug. 7, the day the RH Bill is expected to be voted on in Congress.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle urged the faithful to fill the Edsa Shrine so they could demonstrate their opposition to the RH bill.
“Relying on the power of prayer and the necessity of informed awareness, we will gather together to be informed, enlightened and emboldened once more,” Tagle said.
CBCP president Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, earlier said the nationwide prayer rally was “to show our sentiments about our advocacy for life.” With Joyce Pangco Pañares and Maricel V. Cruz

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=63&articleId=834458

UN bodies, WHO say Phl needs RH bill
By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star) Updated August 04, 2012 12:00 AM Comments (66)



MANILA, Philippines - The World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) underscored the need to pass the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, even as the Catholic Church will hold a prayer rally today at EDSA Shrine to oppose the passage of the measure.
WHO, UNAIDS, and UNFPA yesterday said the Philippine population is growing with more people living in poverty and more young women getting pregnant.
UNFPA country coordinator Ugochi Florence Daniels said the RH bill is important for the Philippines to achieve its health-related targets in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) like maternal health, HIV/AIDS and infant mortality.
The three agencies have reiterated their stand on the RH bill days before the House of Representatives is set to vote on Tuesday if debates on the measure should continue or not.
Daniels said that passing the bill is vital to enable couples to decide on the size of their family by making information and services available to them.
UNAIDS country coordinator Teresita Bagasao said that the lack of an RH law contributes to the increase in HIV/AIDS cases.
“More than 90 percent of new infections in the country are because of sexual transmission. That is high and these were caused by unprotected sex. Those who are getting infected are getting younger and it speaks of lack of access to adequate information that will equip our boys and girls, young men and women with information. We need those provisions in the RH bill,” she said.
According to WHO country representative Dr. Soe Nyunt-U, the issue on reproductive health and responsible parenthood is the same across all regions and “should not be misused as a political tool.”
Meanwhile, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday asked those participating in the anti-RH bill prayer rally to wear red today and on Tuesday when lawmakers cast their vote on whether to terminate debates on the measure.
Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, said the rally dubbed “Prayer Power Against the RH Bill” would be held from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
He said simultaneous prayer rallies would be held in Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Legaspi in Albay, Lucena, Quezon, Tacloban, Roxas in Capiz, Borongan, Samar, Cagayan de Oro City, Baguio, Dagupan and Zamboanga.
Senate leaders to join CBCP rally
While the CBCP did not send out formal invitations to politicians, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto and Sen. Gregorio Honasan will be attending the Church-led rally to dramatize their sentiments against the RH bill.
Honasan said he has started to form a belief on the issue but still wants to hear the arguments of those concerned regarding the RH bill.
“Whether you are a re-electionist or not, especially in my case, it’s hard to put doubt on the motives of our leaders on this. I have yet to interpellate because whatever our decision on this, the implication will have an impact on future generations,” Honasan said over radio dwIZ.
Meanwhile, a former secretary-general of the National Economic and Development Authority defended President Aquino’s support for the RH bill.
Felipe Medalla, board member of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, noted the RH bill is primarily associated with sex education “but the President’s point of view is more aligned with what the bishops were saying... except that the bishops say that the only acceptable method is natural family planning.”
SB: House to focus on RH bill first
The House of Representatives will first tackle and decide on the RH bill before it turns its attention to the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.
The chamber is set to hold a crucial vote on Tuesday on whether to end debates on the RH bill. If the debates are terminated, the measure would enter the period of amendments and be set for approval on second reading.
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, chairman of the House committee on public information, said the FOI bill, which seeks to allow public access to government records, would be tackled by his panel as soon as the RH bill is approved or rejected on the floor.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author of RH bill in the House, said Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s current opposition to the measure is a complete turnaround from the stand she took on the issue seven years ago.
On Jan. 25, 2005, Lagman said then President Arroyo signed a statement of support for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) on behalf of the Philippine government.
Arroyo has vowed to lead her allies in voting against terminating debates on the RH bill. – With Evelyn Macairan, Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero, Jess Diaz, Mike Frialde

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