Noy wavering on RH bill

Despite the assurance by President Aquino that he remains firm on his stand on his program of delivering free contraceptives to poor couples who want them, and even when both houses of Congress have shown strong support for the passage of the Reproductive Health bill, it appears that Aquino may already be wavering on his stated position, as Malacañang yesterday said the RH bill is not Aquino’s priority.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told Palace reporters there is no certainty Aquino will certify the RH bill as urgent, clearly stating that this is not a priority for him, as he is focused on reviewing the Palace-reviewed Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) report.

“We need to see the RH bill first. While the position of the President is clear on responsible parenthood, in fairness to the executive branch we have yet to see the present RH bill/ So from there the President will be able to make a decision as to whether he has any concerns, and whether he supports it. These are the things he will be able to answer once he reviews the RH bill.”

When asked whether Malacañang prefers that the Church keep its hands off the issue, Lacierda said “there are certain moral dimensions to the issue of the RH bill and certainly you cannot stop them from doing so.

“But again as we all know the President is the president not only of Roman Catholics but of other faiths as well, so he has to be above faiths. Responsible parenthood is something which is I believe favorable to all members of all faiths,” said the Palace spokesman.

The Catholic bishops are up in arms over the Palace stand of providing free contraceptives to poor couples who want them. There was even a reported threat from the bishops organization president of the possibility of excommunication.

Aquino claimed he remains “resolute” in recommending the responsible parenthood policy of his government notwithstanding the pressure that the members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) may continuously apply on him just to have him toe their line.

Lacierda said the Aquino administration will uphold its platform of government by campaigning for an educated family planning through every method that is available in the country—be it natural and artificial.

Lacierda added that they understand the sentiments of the CBCP on these matters but that the President is duty-bound to promote the welfare of the majority regardless of protests from the Catholic community.

“No one will dispute (the point) that you would rather have a family of two (wherein you) could provide a good quality of life, than have a family of six where you can provide a bright future (for your children). That is only what our President and our government are after: let’s have a good quality of life; let’s make sure that they (families) are aptly provided of a better future,” he explained further.

Lacierda also clarified that their position is not geared toward supporting abortion because they know this to be a crime under the Revised Penal Code and, at the same time, prohibited under the right to life provision of the Constitution.

“Now, insofar as the other method of family planning is concerned, we are presenting everything. The Catholic Church believes in the natural family planning, we are presenting that as well. There is no bias toward any one particular method—all the methods will be presented to the public and that’s why we are saying that the Church must be informed,” Lacierda added.

Lacierda admitted that the Aquino administration has allocated a portion of the Department of Health’s (DoH) budget, under the disposal of Secretary Enrique Ona, to purchase contraceptives which the government plans to distribute to poor families that do not have the means to avail of the artificial birth control methods.

He, however, said it wasn’t clear how much was specifically apportioned by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad to that effect. The Palace spokesman added that this allocation is not entirely meant for contraceptives but to fund the information campaign of the government itself through the Municipal Healthcare centers nationwide.

“The position is this: We will be informing you of the various menus of family planning methods. You will be coming up with an informed decision. If you, for instance, prefer natural family planning method, there will be less expenses. But, if you prefer artificial family planning method and you don’t have the means to purchase those contraceptives, the state will provide you,” Lacierda stressed.

He said he was informed by Ona that the information drives are still ongoing in some areas of the country and anyone who doesn’t have enough money to purchase these contraceptives which the government is distributing can always get it for free from the health centers.

Lacierda reiterated that the invitation for the members of the CBCP to hold a dialog with them remains open as he claimed that he was unaware of the open letter reportedly issued by its President, Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, Surigao del Sur, last July or before Aquino delivered his State of the Nation Address.

Odchimar asserted in the report that it was the CBCP that first launched the invitation for a dialog with Aquino but that he was not responsive. Lacierda, on the other hand, stressed that their letter was sent to the CBCP since the campaign period and they were the ones who did not receive any response from the bishops.

“As per our office log, the only letter we got from the Church was an invitation from Cardinal Rosales dated July 2, 2010 to attend the Red Mass last July 7 2010,” Lacierda said in a text message.

Lacierda, in a phone call, conveyed that he would have to check Odchimar’s open letter first—see if it has been published previously—before he can properly issue a statement on the matter. He, however, implied that they would rather have a formal response from the CBCP.

The Palace, nonetheless, told reporters that the option of sending a Palace emissary to personally speak with the bishops is no longer necessary.

“The bishops have been informed through media. I have stated this several times. In fact, the letter is still there (but) we have not received any response from them yet. I’ve said already in media that we are open to a dialog. So, it’s there and we are waiting an answer from the bishops,” Lacierda said.

Speaker and Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte is reportedly bent on asking the President to certify as urgent the RH bill. He said he is prepared to face the wrath of the Catholic Church in making sure that pending bills on reproductive health in the House of Representatives are discussed extensively and voted on by lawmakers.

“Everyone has to assess it for himself, but we ourselves have assessed it in the past and we are willing to take the risk,” Belmonte, a known ally of Aquino, was quoted saying in the reports.

“I think it’s OK to ask the President, to request him if he can certify that (RH bill). Anyway he has bitten the bullet already,” Belmonte said.

The Catholic church criticized Aquino for his stand on the controversial issue after he stated in a meeting with a Filipino community in San Francisco that the government will be providing free contraceptives to couples who have been properly informed about their family planning and reproductive health choices. –Aytch S. de la Cruz, Daily Tribune