Ona pleased with survey results 7 of 10 Filipinos pro-contraception

MANILA, Philippines—Health Secretary Enrique Ona is pleased with the results of the recent Pulse Asia survey showing that seven out of 10 Filipinos were in favor of using contraceptives.

Ona said the results indicated that the public was knowledgeable of the issues concerning reproductive health (RH).

“That means that people are becoming aware that the RH issue is not about controlling the population or abortion, because we are all against it,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview on the sidelines of the “China Experience,” a reunion on Tuesday night of Filipino participants in China seminars and programs sponsored by the Chinese embassy in Manila.

“It’s a matter of giving our Filipino couples the information for responsible parenthood,” Ona said, adding that it was up to Congress to decide what to do with the RH bill.

He also said President Aquino had held a consistent position on responsible parenthood.

Beginning of life

Ona expressed agreement with the position of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) that life began at fertility, thus the need for government protection at this stage of life.

“Yes, to a certain extent that is correct. You have to make sure that there is life before any intervention. That [would be] problematic,” Ona said.

“Is there life involved when you take the pill? When you take the pill, there is no ovulation, so there is no life. Is there a meeting of the egg and sperm if there is a condom? None,” he said.

Ona said the government would make sure that Filipino couples had an informed choice in deciding the size of their family.

First meeting

On Monday, the PMA and CBCP held their first consultative meeting on the RH issue and found that the protection of unborn children in the proposed bill was one of their commonalities.

The PMA delegation was headed by executive director Dr. Arthur Catli, while the CBCP delegation was led by its secretary general, Monsignor Juanito Figura.

“We welcome this kind of consultation because of the impact of the RH issue on the nation” Catli said.

He said that during the meeting, the PMA through its specialty group—the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, represented by its president, Dr. Sylvia Carnero—confirmed that “life begins during fertilization.” –Cynthia D. Balana, Philippine Daily Inquirer