Church calls faithful to rally vs.

RH bill
THE Catholic Church is calling on all the faithful to stand up and express their opposition to the reproductive health (RH) bill by gathering at the EDSA Shrine on Saturday, August 4, for the Prayer Power Rally against the RH Bill. Organized by the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) together with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, the gathering is expected to draw thousands, as strong opposition to the contentious measure has continued to grow among faith-based groups, youth organizations, family and life advocates, and concerned citizens. The event takes place three days before the expected August 7 judgment day of the RH bill at the House of Representatives, when solons vote whether or not to terminate interpellations on the measure. According to ECFL Chairman Antipolo Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes, this is a moral issue and therefore this event will not be a political rally but a prayer rally focused on praying for the non-passage of the [RH bill]. Participants are enjoined to wear red the Churchs symbol of martyrdom and to bring religious images, rosaries and candles to the event, which will include dynamic presentations and music besides rousing speeches that will shed more light on and show the beauty and vitality of an authentic culture of life. The prelate has also requested for the daily recitation of the Angelus at 6 pm in every home and parish during these days leading up to next weeks crucial vote. In a radio interview, CBCP President and Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma referred to the prayer rally as a demonstration of our sentiments and our advocacy for life. Let us show that what we believe in is

for the common good, he added. The gathering takes place between 1 pm to 7 in the evening. A Holy Eucharist will be offered at 5 p.m.

Harness human resource instead of controlling population - CBCP chief

RATHER than suppress the population, the government should harness the countrys human resources to boost economic growth, the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, in a statement warned that the reproductive health (RH) bill would curtail economic growth, citing the experience of countries with ageing populations and shrinking workforces. The draconian population control policy of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill would only curtail our economic growth. The problem of countries with former robust economies is the lack of young workers for their industries and inadequate support for their aging population, he said.

Simultaneous rallies In Cebu, a simultaneous rally will be held at the Fuente Osmena Circle at 5:30 p.m. onwards. In a circular, Palma urged all parish priests, religious congregations, seminaries, school administrators, Church mandated organizations, covenanted communities and the Council of the Laity to gather and attend the SolidarRally / A7

THE renewed push for the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill could derail the countrys economic growth, which hinges on consumption and a growing working population, the prestigious Wall Street Journal has warned. In the opinion piece titled Keeping the Philippine Dream Alive, the global business daily praised the economic gains of the Aquino administration but cauEconomy / A3

RH could derail Philippine economy

RH Bill will be an issue come elections - CBCP official

Archbishop Jose Palma

Planned Parenthood eyes scale up of abortion in PH, grants millions to RH lobbyists

THE worlds largest supplier of abortion services is planning to scale up such services in the Philippines, as it continued to shower millions on groups lobbying for the passage of the reproductive health (RH) bill. In its latest financial report, the London-based International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) said that as part of a plan to double services by 2015, there will be an initiative to scale up abortion services in Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines, thereby disregarding the Philippines Constitutional laws, religious convictions, and cultural sensibilities. In apparent anticipation of the

passage of the controversial RH bill, which will require billions of pesos in taxpayers money to fund contraception and sterilization programs as well as questionable sex-education modules, the IPPF report said plans for 2012 include advocating for access to family planning services in government health centres and provision of sexuality education
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A CATHOLIC bishop chided President Benigno Aquino III for using an increasing student population as scapegoat to drum up support for the reproductive health (RH) bill. Aquino is confused as to the real reasons for the backlogs in classrooms and facilities, and instead he used the student population as scapegoat, San Pablo Bishop Leo Drona said.

P-noy oblivious to real problem in educationbishop

Drona was reacting to P-noys State of the Nation Address (SONA) where the president elaborated on the Responsible Parenthood Bill (otherwise known as Reproductive Health Bill) as the possible solution to the lack of facilities in various schools, the backlogs of student population and the economy. The bishop, who recently cel-

There is an ill portent for the nation when government does not look at its own population as a source of grace and blessing, he added. Palma issued the statement after calling on the faithful to go to the EDSA Shrine on Saturday, August 4, for the Prayer Power Rally against the RH bill, a measure which aims to appropriate billions of pesos in taxpayers money for contraception, sterilization, and questionable sex education programs. The statement came a week after President Benigno Aquino IIIs endorsement of responsible parenthood in his State of the Nation Address (SONA), which RH lobbyists have taken as a marching order to pass the RH bill. In his SONA, Aquino said responsible
Population / A7

Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media

THE Catholic hierarchy will bring the issue of a proposed population control measure to the voters to decide on in next years election, an official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Msgr. Joselito Asis
Elections / A7

CBCP For Life

Education / A3

ANYBODY who values democracy and freedom of choice will oppose a proposed bill that renders people of faith criminals like what the reproductive health (RH) bill does a member of the 9YL, or Nine Young Legislators, said to over a thousand young people during a National Capital Region (NCR) Youth Day for Life.

RH bill incompatible with democracy, says solon

Our country, the epitome of people power, has created the image of democracy for the world, and because of this passion for democracy, we as Filipinos want to be a democratic country. We want to instill democratic principles, and therefore we respect choice, said Lanao del Norte Rep. Fatima Aliah Dimaporo at

CBCP For Life

Democracy / A2

CBCP For Life

Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media

Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media

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Features Demographics and Economics

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Top economist highlights importance of human capital

He showed how a thorough understanding of the population growth can positively influence the market economy of a country. The economist discussed in detail the need to address inward-looking industrialization, neglect of export promotion, the underdeveloped agricultural sector and lack of infrastructures to empower growth of the Philippine economy. Population growth should not be blamed for poverty; there are other things which explain poverty. Let me give you some of the reasons, Villegas began. We cruelly neglected agricultural and rural development that is the first cause. And so how do you solve poverty? Not by blaming the babies, but by building farmto-market roads, irrigation systems and post-harvest facilities. Villegas, who obtained his masters and doctoral degrees

PH should learn from mistakes of other nations with RH laws

TOP economist Bernardo M. Villegas, PhD who served as special Economics adviser to five Philippine presidents and numerous legislators and local officials, in a talk he delivered at the Lauan University Center, cited the importance of human resource and dispelled wrong notions that population growth is the

RH coercion in PH part of Western depopulation agenda US prolifers

reason for poverty. Villegas, who was likewise a member of the Constitutional Commission that drafted the Philippine Constitution under the late President Corazon Aquinos term, illustrated how a thorough understanding of population growth can affect the market economy of a country in a positive way.

in Economics from Harvard University, also pointed out corruption and poor governance as the key cause of poverty, citing a World Bank study several years ago which concluded that the government loses a total of P400 billion a each year to corruption. The first is corruption of the private sector companies who do not pay taxes by bribing the BIR and depriving the government of almost 200 billion pesos. Another 200 billion pesos are lost these are already funds budgeted for roads, for textbooks, for fertilizers but end up in the pockets of some government officials, he lamented. Villegas likewise served as Board member of leading prestigious Philippine and multinational corporations including Bank of the Philippine Islands, Insular Life, McDonalds, DuPont, and Rolls Royce. (CBCP for Life)

CBCP For Life

DEVELOPING nations around the globe have been working to fight off cultural imperialism which parts of the Western world have been pushing through imposed population control and the Philippines is not spared from this anti-life agenda, said American culture of life advocates. There are similarities between the situation in the Philippines and what we see in other nations worldwide many, many millions of dollars are sent from the US and Europe to promote the RH agenda in an attempt to stop people in the developing world from having children, said Stephen Phelan, Human Life International (HLI) Communications Director. The reproductive health (RH) issue has been the subject of numerous news reports, surveys and television debates since the start of the year, and mass actions demonstrating opposition to the RH bills have been carried out in different parts of the Philippines. And House Bill 4244 and Senate Bill 2865, both in the period of interpellation, have been taken up in both chambers of Congress consistently since President Benigno Aquino III issued a directive in August to prioritize the pending measures despite the public outcry against these from faith-based groups, civic and family organizations, and medical and child development experts. Ordinary people dont want their governments passing anti-life, antifamily legislation. Thats why these measures can only be passed when government officials force their will on the people. Thats what happened in the United States in 2010 with Obamacare which expanded taxpayer-funded abortions, despite mas-

sive public opposition and its the same tactic President Aquino is trying now in the Philippines, observed John Jansen, Director of Generations for Life, the youth arm of the Pro-Life Action League. [RH promoters] have unlimited money, and they are very patient, and they try to convince people that if they want the respect really the funding of the wealthy nations, they will do what theyre told and put structures in place to stop having children. They will exploit corruption in government especially, Phelan pointed out. They know that history shows that you can sneak or force these policies through, then eventually people will come around to the idea that happiness is not in children and families, but in having more wealth and things, the HLI official added.

Pro-lifers putting up a strong fight He observed that the Philippine president, however, seemed very frustrated and embarrassed in front of international colleagues because he hasnt been able to force this bill through. He and his allies are promising hundreds of millions in aid and all kinds of worldly accolades if he can just get Filipinos to do what theyre told. He has even adopted the tactic of tying legitimate reforms and development policies to the radical RH policies. It turns out that Filipinos who love life and family are more sophisticated and more united than the pro-RH crowd thought, and they are putting up a strong fight. This strong fight as well as the entire backdrop of the fight against reproductive health in the country is the subject of The Philippines: Preserving

a Culture of Life, an HLI-produced documentary which debuted to Philippine and American audiences in August and which features interviews with prominent pro-life crusaders including Dr. Ligaya Acosta, herself a former RH believer as a Department of Health (DOH) employee for almost 30 years. Despite the millions of dollars being poured into forcing RH into the local culture, significant revelations have been made at the Senate and House debates on the legislative measures, such as RH backers use of outdated and bloated numbers on maternal mortality and abortion rates, the admission by a pro-RH congresswoman that the RH bill is a population control measure, and the abortion advocacy of at least three pro-RH groups. But the Philippines is not the only nation fighting imposed demographic targets and working to uphold the culture of life, Jansen stated, and people with faith especially have the necessary means to beat those forcing antilife, anti-family values on others. Without a doubt, the same scenario is playing out in developing countries all over the world, the Generations for Life official said. The morally decadent countries of the Western world have been pushing population control for decades, and the pro-abortion forces have seemingly no reservations about manipulating data or even resorting to outright lies if it serves their agenda. Opposition to the pro-life movement is extremely well-funded, and so the only way that people of faith can hope to prevail is by relying on Gods help by being devoted to prayer and penance. (CBCP for Life)

SINGAPORE ex-Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yews regrets about the population control policy he implemented during his term should be a wake-up call to those who insist that making birth control a matter of national policy is the solution to the Philippines problems. Its unfortunate for any society that there are still those who cannot or refuse to see that reproductive health is actually being used to mask the population control advocacy. A First World country like Singapore did implement mechanisms since the 1970s to limit childbirth and the government was very aggressive about it, only for Lee Kuan Yew to admit later on that it was one of his serious blunders, said Elmer Baguioro, a Filipino chemical engineer living in Singapore. Perhaps the most troubling problem facing the nation is a result of its overly successful population control program, which ran with the slogan Two Is Enough. Today Singaporeans are simply not reproducing, so the country must depend on immigrants to keep the population growing. The government offers baby bonuses and long maternity leaves he related, quoting from a 2010 article from National Geographic magazine about the Singapore situation. The fertility rate of 1.29 could lead to the fatal error in the Singapore Model the eventual extinction of Singaporeans, he added. The reproductive health (RH) bills pending in the Philippines legislature Senate Bill 2865 and House Bill 4244 include provisions on a two-child family as the ideal family size. While RH proponents insist that this is not the same as a two-child policy and will merely be recommended when advising couples on family planning, including such a provision in the bill already gives the State the power to enforce what RH proponents refer to as optional. Enacting an ideal family size is enacting a standard or norm. If two is the ideal size or norm, then we can assume that this is population control, he added.
Destroying the fabric of society Apple Suemith, a Filipino graduate student in Surabaya, Indonesia, points to the experiences of other countries as a reliable reference for Filipinos to see just what population control does to any society and, thereby, what the RH bill would lead to.
Democracy / A1

I really think the country would be committing a kind of national suicide if they pursue the RH bill. They just have to look at the example of other countries where the number of children was limited and are now facing the consequences of birth rate decline China, Singapore, European countries, Suemith said. The other repercussions of a measure that mandates birth control as well as comprehensive sex education have also led her to oppose the measure. The morals are more and more confused. People no longer have respect for each other they may divorce left and right, teenage promiscuity abounds, and you later have a generation of people with immature character, accustomed to pleasure and comfort and not having a sense of responsibility, Suemith explained, adding that she noticed similar things in Indonesia. Children hardly learn the value of giving, she said, because they only have to share the family goods with their lone sibling. Couples become accomplices of their own selfishness instead of being able to decide the way they will handle their marital life in a spirit of affectionate dialogue, foregoing the marital act if at that moment, the woman is fertile, and they cannot afford to have another baby because of some serious reasons, she pointed out. Since moving to Indonesia in 2009, Suemith has noticed the extent to which the government promotes its family planning program. Trips are made to the remotest villages to carry out the promotion among the rural folks, and advertisements sell the family planning program on TV and via billboards, she related. People want to have only two children the contraceptive mentality is rampant here. Suemith believes the Philippine government can respond better to the peoples needs by pouring its resources into other areas crucial to nationbuilding. The government can invest more in other things like education in order to build the nation, and distribution of resources instead of putting its limited funds on things that only invade family life and privacy of married couples. This is not their area of competence. The government cannot run families. (CBCP for Life) for free over the counter without the consent of their parents She said if the State is given the power to make such conditions into a law and impose penalties on those who dont obey the law, that is not choice. That is the opposite of democracy. And this is why the RH bill is very dangerous. Reiterating her position, Dimaporo said what the country needs are more and better health and education facilities to improve the poverty situation. The congresswoman was one of several life-affirming speakers at the wholeday event held at Paco Catholic School. Others who graced the gathering and gave rousing speeches and informative talks were Paraaque Rep. Roilo Golez, Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing, bioethicist Angelita Aguirre, M.D., registered nurse Leanne Rosal, and World Youth Alliance Asia Pacific (WYAAP) regional director Renelyn Tan. The talks were interspersed with praise and worship, band performances, and a stage play presented by the youth of the Antipolo diocese. The NCR Youth Day for Life, which revolved around the theme Learn. Live. Love, was organized by the Archdiocese of Manila, Dioceses of Paraaque, Pasig, Antipolo, Novaliches, Cubao, Kalookan, Imus and Apostolic Vicariates of Puerto Princesa and Taytay in Palawan. (CBCP for Life)

CBCP For Life

CBCP For Life

the whole-day youth gathering yesterday that brought together some 1,400 delegates from the 10 ecclesiastical territories of NCR. In essence, if you support the RH bill, you are not pro-choice. Youre not only anti-life; you are also not pro-choice because if you were truly pro-choice, you would give the choice for your fellow citizens whether or not to use contraceptives. She specified doctors as the ones who will be among the hardest hit if they remain faithful to their principles and if they steer their patients away from abortive measures or other measures promoted in the RH bill. They will be penalized, and if they refuse to pay the fine, they will be jailed, Dimaporo said. You are made a criminal just because of your Catholic principles. Is that prochoice? The Muslim congresswoman pointed out that people right now have a choice since birth control supplies are available in numerous stores; people have the choice, too, whether or not they will wait till they are married before engaging in sexual activity. That is their choice, the lawmaker said. But she explained that people should not allow the government to pass a bill that would make it a law to define responsible parenthood as limiting the size of a family, that we should allow girls as young as 13 to be able to get condoms

CBCP For Life

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Features Legal
THE absence of respect for freedom of conscience in House Bill 4244 is among the reasons for one lawyers opposing the P3 billion measure. In a June 17 forum on the RH bill held at Sta. Isabel College, Atty. Marwil Llasos of Filipinos for Life cited the provision concerning refusal to extend reproductive health services (Sec. 28. Prohibited Acts), which states that while the conscientious objectors refusal due to ethical or religious beliefs is acceptable, he is required to immediately refer the person seeking such care and services to another health care service provider within the same facility or one which is conveniently accessible who is willing to provide the requisite information and services. In other words, if a doctor refuses to perform a vasectomy, for example, because he believes this to be unethical, the bill compels him to refer the patient to another doctor. The lawyer pointed out that this still goes against the first doctors conscience because what you are prohibited from doing directly, you are mandated to do indirectly. At mas imoral po yon. Bakit? Kasi kung siya lang ang gagawa ng paglabag sa kanyang konsensyahalimbawa, nagbigay siya ng condom o pills, nag-perform siya ng vasectomy o naglagay siya ng

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Disregard parents authority so as to push youths sexual rights?

THE worlds largest abortion provider would rather ignore laws that protect parental rights if these hampered the youths access to sexual and reproductive rights. Clearly, under our Constitution, it is the primary right and duty of the parents to rear our youth especially in the development of their moral character. This is in total opposition to the aforesaid position of the IPPF, said Atty. Romulo Macalintal when asked about the prospect of such principles succeeding should some parties attempt to apply them to Philippine shores. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) said in an official statement that laws that restrict young peoples access to sexual and reproductive health services, including parental or spousal consent laws must be either struck down or kept from being implemented, based on a report from the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute (C-FAM). This push by IPPF which has lobbied worldwide for the legalization and for repeal of laws preventing legal access to abortion to make parental authority irrelevant in the lives of their children particularly concerning access to reproductive health services, becomes more significant as the United Nations Commission on Population and Development is considering giving sexual and reproductive health and rights to children as young as 10 years. Macalintal, who specializes in election and political laws, explained that the 1987 Philippine Constitution is very specific on this issue and cited Section 12, Article II: The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother

Lawyer blasts RH bills coercive nature

tioned against an anti-population growth mindset. The Philippines doesnt have too many people, it has too few pro-growth policies, the Wall Street Journal said. [Mr. Aquinos] promotion of a reproductive health bill is jarring because it would put the Philippines in danger of following Chinas path into middle-income development followed by a demographic trap of too few workers, it said. Overall, however, there is a sense that Mr. Aquino is on the right track, and that impression is the countrys biggest asset at the moment. The Philippines is said to be the last of major economies in Asia to enter a demographic sweet spot, a phase associated with a young, vibrant labor force ably supporting the pension system, and an economy experiencing high economic growth rates due to a large base of consumers. Early this year, the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng PilipiEducation / A1

Economy / A1

nas (BSP), Amando Tetangco, said the country will taste its demographic sweet spot by 2015. While some countries are facing problems relating to their aging population, the Philippines is set to enter its demographic sweet spot. Studies have shown that extended periods of accelerated economic growth have coincided with the countries entering this period, the BSP governor said. The Financial Times recently declared an end to Asias demographic free ride, citing shrinking workforces in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. This Philippines, however, is one of the few fortunate countries with favorable demographics. Population-control lobbyists are pressuring Congress to vote on the RH bill which seeks billions of pesos in taxpayers money to fund contraception, sterilization, and a questionable sex-education program. (Dominic Francisco) areas of government. His efforts at improving the economy and curving misuse of public funds are still lacking. The prelate is urging all parish priests, rectors, chaplains, and administrators of parishes and institutions to continue praying the Oratio Imperata after every mass in their respective areas until the president and Congress put a stop to the anti-life, antifamily measure. Drona also said he is exhorting all parish priests, rectors, and chaplains to consecrate their respective parishioners to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary during their masses for moral and spiritual strength. (Fr. Romy Ponte)

ebrated the 25th anniversary of his Episcopal ordination on, said the chief executive was misleading the nation into believing that aggressive population reduction through an RH law would be better for the country. The prelate noted that no less than US State Secretary Hillary Clinton said the following in one of her speeches on reproductive health: And if were talking about maternal health, you cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortion. Drona said P-noy should properly allocate government funds and totally put a stop to all forms of graft and corruption in various

development and encourage them to have two children as the ideal family size. Attaining the ideal family size is neither mandatory nor compulsory. No punitive action shall be imposed on parents having more than two children. If the ideal family size of two children is neither mandatory nor compulsory, why even include it in the bill, except to give it more than the power of suggestion? Could this provision have been added to push for population control, despite the fact that the government has no authority to stipulate an ideal family size? Although the language for this two-child policy has been softened compared to previous bills, it still collides with the Philippine Constitutions provision: The State shall defend the right of spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions and the demands of responsible parenthood. As Filipinos, we cannot allow the RH Bill to be passed. For the sake of our children, and of our childrens children, we should stop the passage of the RH Bill. Here are some ways we can do this: 1. Educate yourself. Read the RH Bill and understand what it means. Do not be persuaded by the arguments of the proponents of the bill who say that the RH bill is a fundamental right. 2. Visit www.congress.gov.ph and www. senate.gov.ph to find out the names of your senator and district representative. Call them and tell them to vote against the bill. 3. Support the efforts of your local parish priest or your local bishop. 4. Visit www.cbcpforlife.com to read the latest on the RH Bill. 5. Attend rallies that denounce the RH Bill. 6. Do not be afraid to talk to your friends and neighbors about the reasons the RH Bill is bad law. 7. Pray. Offer novenas for the defeat of the RH Bill. (Maria Caulfield was born in Manila and graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelors degree in Communication, major in Journalism. She obtained her Masters degree in Human Resources Development in the United States where she resides with her husband and two sons, and where she keeps abreast of Philippine issues.)

CBCP For Life

and the life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic and efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the government. Any law similar to that suggested by the IPPF shall be struck down for being unconstitutional or in violation of the said provision of our constitution. The use of the adjective primary to describe the degree of right and duty of the parents emphasizes and stresses the directive of our Constitution for our parents to look after the development of the moral values of our youth, the lawyer pointed out. Though Macalintal finds the IPPF statement shocking and deplorable, he said that coming from an organization aimed at promoting sexual and reproductive health it is no longer surprising to hear and read such ridiculous and frivolous position. Recalling several incidents involving students which showed the young peoples lack of good judgment and which made for newspaper fodder for several days, Macalintal said that at least for Filipinos, there is no rhyme nor reason to remove or refrain parents from exercising their parental control and extension of parental guidance to their young children. Our culture and tradition are so different from other modern countries and I am still hopeful that a great majority of our youth of today and their parents uphold a high degree of standards in their moral and family values. Our Filipino youth should continue honoring and respecting their parents who remain the wind beneath their wings as they continue to fly and aim for higher goals and endeavors, he added. (CBCP for Life)

The RH Bill A Bad Law That Will Lead To Worse

a s t a m o xifen, which i s u s e d to treat breast cancer, or insulin, which i s u s e d to treat diabetes? 3. Section 16 states: Age-approp r i a t e Re productive Health and Sexuality Education shall be taught by adequately trained teachers in formal and non-formal educational system starting from Grade Five up to Fourth Year High School using life-skills and other approaches. Should sex education be mandated by the government? Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza refutes: Can you imagine, from Grade 5 to high school, we will be teaching them all about sex? Supposedly for good intentions we will teach them proper appreciation for the reproductive system of the human body. You dont need to teach the kids about the reproductive system. We need to teach them math, science, good values and technology. Lets leave it to the parents to teach them about [sex]. 4. Sec. 17 states: Each Local Population Officer of every city and municipality shall furnish free instructions and information on family planning, responsible parenthood, breastfeeding, infant nutrition and other relevant aspects of this Act to all applicants for marriage license. In the absence of a local Population Officer, a Family Planning Officer under the Local Health Office shall discharge the additional duty of the Population Officer. In addition, Section 18 states: No marriage license shall be issued by the Local Civil Registrar unless the applicants present a Certificate of Compliance issued for free by the local Family Planning Office certifying that they had duly received adequate instructions and information on family planning, responsible parenthood, breastfeeding and infant nutrition. Thus, if the RH Bill is passed, a Filipino who decides to marry in the Catholic Church can only obtain a marriage license if he agrees to receive instruction that goes against the teachings of the very same religion he wishes to follow. This stipulation violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), for which the Philippines was one of 48 signatories. Article 18 of the UDHR states: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. 5. Section 20 states: The State shall assist couples, parents and individuals to achieve their desired family size within the context of responsible parenthood for sustainable

IUD sa isang tao, siya lang ang nagkasala. But if he is going to refer to another doctor, dalawa na silang nagkasala, Llasos pointed out. H e t h e n a p p e a l e d to t h e high school and college students as well as faculty in the audience to take a hard look at what the bill is leading Filipinos to do. My dear sisters and brothers, your faith that was taught to you by the Sisters here in this school tells you that there is such a thing known as the

sin of scandal, and that is even worse. Leading people to sin, he lamented. Here we have a law that mandates a Filipino, a Catholic to violate his conscience, and if he goes by his conscience he will be imprisoned. Here is a law that commands you to commit the sin of scandal. The lawyer, who is also an apologist at Defensores Fidei Foundation, continued: Lagi na lang sinasabi na ang Simbahan ay kontrabida. Hindi po tayo kontrabida, sinasabi na-

tin ang katotohanan Ano ang penalty [sa lalabag sa bill na ito]? The doctor or nurseshall be penalized by imprisonment ranging from one month to six months or a fine of P10,000 to P50,000 or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the competent court. Ano ang kasalanan ng doktor? Ano ang kasalanan ng nars? Ang kasalanan niya, siya ay mananampalatayang Katoliko na naniniwala na imoral ang batas na ito. This is oppressive; this is penalizing us for being Catholic Christians. (CBCP for Life)

By Maria Caulfield

Good laws lead to the making of better ones; bad ones bring about worse. Jean Jacques Rousseau THESE are troubling times for the Filipino people. Questionable laws are near passage in the Philippine Congress laws that will adversely affect not just our generation, but those to come as well. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are now set to end debates on similar versions of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, and the proponents are shoring up votes, bringing the bill a hairs breadth away from being passed. The main objective of the RH Bill is population control, cloaked in terms such as reproductive health. The bill assumes that population growth leads to poverty, but many scholars have debunked this myth. In the case of the Philippines, the greatest resource and asset of the country is her people. If one reads either the Senate or the House version of the RH Bill in its entirety (an easy task considering the relatively short length), one sees that the bill pushes contraceptive methods to the detriment of the population. Studies have proven that contraceptives lead to premarital and extramarital relations, which in turn lead to the breakdown of the family as a unit. In addition, some contraceptives are shown to be abortifacients. Proponents are also trying to define the bill as a fundamental right. Really? What exactly are the stipulations in the bill that makes it a fundamental right? Lets look at some of the problematic stipulations in the House version of the bill: 1. Section 3, Guiding Principle No. 10 states: While this Act recognizes that abortion is illegal and punishable by law, the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, nonjudgmental and compassionate manner. If abortion is illegal, then this statement sends the following messages: a.) that the law against abortion is inhumane and unjust; b.) that the implementation of the law against abortion is ineffective; and c.) that abortions are a reality that should be accepted. Nowhere in the RH Bill is there any mention of the penalties or punishment for the providers of abortion. 2. Section 10 states: Products and supplies for modern family planning methods shall be part of the National Drug Formulary and the same shall be included in the regular purchase of essential medicines and supplies of all national and local hospitals and other government health units. According to this provision, family planning supplies are so important to the population that it should be listed in the National Drug Formulary along with essential medicines such as those that treat malignant diseases, cardiovascular illnesses, and blood ailments. Are Filipinos supposed to accept that condoms, which the bill claims as essential for reproductive health, are as important The law of love could be best understood and learned through little children. Mahatma Gandhi

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EDITORIAL
LET us go over this one more time slowly, very slowly, very, very slowly.

Opinion
The Moment of Truth

CBCP Monitor

Special Issue

We have been told that we need the Reproductive Health (RH) bill because the government would like to give everyone the right to practice birth control, prevent pregnant women from dying, and prevent the national poverty level from rising. By what means does the bill hope to accomplish these objectives? Through the Pill, the condom, the IUD, Depo Provera, injectables, a whole range of contraceptives and sterilization agents, many of which are contragestives and abortifacients. Under the bill, all these are to be declared essential medicines and supplied generously to all by the Philippine government. Who will be paying for these essential medicines? You, dear Reader, the Filipino taxpayers, of course, who else?

This is the problem. There is no law in the country that prohibits contraception or sterilization. Therefore, so many women are contracepting and getting sterilized, and so many men are getting vasectomized. The national contraceptive prevalence rate now stands at 51 percent, and counting.
Illustration by Bladimer Usi

So do women and men need a law to give them the right to practice birth control? No, they dont.

But we are told so many women are dying everyday from the lack of contraceptives. Dont you have compassion for those women? That is the argumentum ad misericordiam that bathes many RH forums in tears.

Whatever their number, they do not need to die. But most of these deaths occur in the absence of timely and proper medical help, not because the women have decided to become mothers. The empirical evidence shows that maternal deaths can be reduced, as they have in fact been reduced in specific places, simply by improving the quality of medical services.

Do mothers then need this RH bill to bring down the number of maternal deaths? No, they dont. Better medical services will do very well.

Oscar V. Cruz, DD

But we are told that because we are too many, we shall always be poor; we simply have too many schoolchildren for whom the government must provide classrooms, teachers, chairs, books, learning materials, etc. So we need this RH bill to cut down our population growth, and ultimately our real numbers. How come they have never complained that we have too many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) contributing to the $18 billion they remit to the economy each year? How come countries like Japan, Russia, nearly all of Western Europe look at our robust young population with hope while they watch their own grow old and die?

Clearly we do not need this RH bill. We would only need it if we wanted to help bail out the failing First World economies by providing a big market for their condoms, contraceptives, contragestives, abortifacients and sterilization agents; if we wanted to join the countries that are now going through or are at the edge of the demographic winter.

Throughout this debate, the pro-RH advocates have tried to melt our hearts and our minds with a litany of why they need this bill. Poverty, maternal health, unmet womens needs, etc. The anti-RH side has tried to respond to those whys. And the arguments have gone back and forth, with neither side conceding any point to the other. This cannot go on forever. We must now appeal to the moral law and the Constitution, to which every law must conform. Human reproduction is such a vital area of human activity that it cannot be excluded from moral considerations. We must judge what is good and what is evil. With respect to the Constitution, the pertinent provisions are fully in accordance with Church doctrine. Section 12 of Article II, for one, speaks of the sanctity of family life and of the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It is not to be interfered with by the State. On the other hand the State guarantees that it shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. As one scholar of the Church and the Constitution puts it, this makes the State the protector and not the preventer of conception; it cannot be the provider of contraception. It would be patently unconstitutional for the State to be part of a program of contraception, even if its only purpose were to prevent one solitary woman from conceiving.

STRANGE but true: There is this other distinctly cited and strongly proposed pro-choice reproductive (read: unproductive) and health (read: unhealthy) HB 4244 that is poised to penalize and /or fine those who precisely make the choice to be against it! Translation: The Bill in effect leaves no choice for people than to comply therewithor else. One can only wonder what inspired the formulation of this threatening and fearsome Bill: Malacaang patronage? Lobby money? Adventurism? Thus it is that the people in general are subject to the penalty of imprisonment and/ or fine in the event that as individuals or as groups of citizens, they express their conviction and/or considered opinion against any provision of the Bill. The penalty is imposed in the event that such a stance is judged as malicious disinformation

Views and Points

The offense becomes worse for the Catholic faithful. The proponents of the bill know the Church condemns contraception and sterilization as intrinsically evil. Yet they want to impose this very same evil on the faithful, against their religious protestations. This makes the bill indisputably anti-Catholic; its provisions smack of religious persecution. Enacted into law, it could turn our democracy into a totalitarian order. After everything then has been said, the final question must be asked, can the Congress pass the present RH bill into law, without offending the moral law and the Constitution, and without further dividing an already divided nation? We must now rise above all partisanship and agree that it cannot be done. It need not be done.
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AMERICAN conservatives were up in arms against the HHS mandate (Health and Human Services Mandate) of President Barack Obama, a mandate which will force every employer, including Catholics, to provide contraception and abortifacient pills to their employees. This is, of course, a slap against religious freedom, and the resulting backlash has seen not only Catholics but other denominations as well condemning this mandate. To ask Catholics to go against what their faith teaches is a clear violation of the often-misunderstood separation of Church and State. The US government has no right to prevent Catholics from living their faith nor does it have any right to implement a law or a provision that would go against their religion. All over the country, protests sparked out in defiance of the HHS mandate. Men, women, the young, the old, clergy, and laity, Catholics and

The HHS Mandate and the RH Bill: Lessons on Parallelism

So too are health care providers subject to the penalty of imprisonment and/or fine in case they fail to provide reproductive information and care to their respective assigned community. The said task should be extended to everyone therein, irrespective of their status and gender, their creed and age. Let it be also pointed out that the said information and care include mutilation such as vasectomy and tubal ligation. And employers themselves are subject to imprisonment and/or fine when they do not provide free reproductive health care, supply, services, devices and anti-pregnancy surgical procedures, to their workers/ employeesparticularly to women. Said penalty and/or fine is imposed upon the employers every time they fail to comply with the contraceptive provisions of the Bill. The Bill supposedly thought of and premised on the pro-choice principle, is a big

Reproductive Health Bill: HB 4244

Anthony James U. Perez

falsity as there is really no choice for all those concerned than to comply therewith. The pro-choice Bill is in fact a proposed penal legislation. The pro-choice Bill penalizes those who choose otherwise not only with imprisonment or with fine but possibly with both imprisonment and fine. The pro-choice Bill is downright obligatory! There are several RH Billsindividually proposed or reconciled with other similar RH Bills. It is said that the people are free to have children or not, free to have this or that number of children, free to have them when and where. Filipinos however are not free to choose where their direct and indirect taxes should goto contraceptive means /services or pro-life means/ services. Pay they must but choose they may not. Free they are to be pro-choice, but not to be pro-life. Interesting!

Nicole Bautista

even those who arent Catholic went out, joined the protests, and spoke their minds about the whole issue of their religious freedom which is at stake. The same thing should be happening to our country. Like the Americans, we have a president who thinks he can have his way against the religious, faithful Catholic, and a pending bill that is set to trample the religious freedom of millions of Catholics around the country. The RH Bill (Reproductive Health Bill), currently House Bill 4244 in Congress & Senate Bill 2865 in Senate, has provisions that go against many of the precepts of the Catholic Church, and this makes Her the bills number one enemy. Central to the HHS mandate and the RH Bill are the distribution of contraception. The Catholic Church has been consistent in its denunciation of contraception, which it considers as in-

trinsically evil. She teaches that the sexual act, aside from the fact that it is reserved for those who are bound in the sacrament of marriage, has two aspects the unitive and procreative and these two aspects must always be present. The denial of the procreative side of the sexual act, which happens whenever the couple uses contraceptives, means that sex is debased and is made into just an activity for pleasure. It could also mean that the woman is objectified as a thing meant for achieving a sexual high. In the United States, the mass distribution of contraceptives by the government happened a mere few years before the 1973 Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision, which gives you an idea of how things spiral downwards so quickly with a country that adopts a contraceptive mentality. And we all know what Roe v Wade did to American Society:

Pro-Life Philippines

54 million deaths and counting. To think it all began with a rather innocent but entirely wrong notion of sex: Look dear, we can now do it without you getting pregnant! If everything were a game of chess, then President Obama is now executing his endgame moves, with the HHS mandate and the end of religious freedom as his idea of a checkmate and victory. Game over. Destroy the remaining resistance the Catholic Church by forcing them to adopt this lifestyle that the liberals have been living, not to say that many Catholics have been using contraceptives anyway. It was a dangerous gambit, by the way, and the backlash against Obamas obvious trampling of religious freedom has been overwhelming. Everything is still hanging in the balance. Today the RH Bill and, consequently, our countrys future

Pro-Life Philippines / A5

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The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP Communications Development Foundation, Inc., with editorial and business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO. Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.; ISSN 1908-2940

I DONT want all our future leaders to be OK with the RH Bill. That would be a nightmare. And you thought this issue was dead. I got asked by a friend once what I wanted in our leaders and I said, I want someone who is pro-life. And she replied, Is that all the matters to you? (Why, yes, because life comes above all causes. Whats education if there are no kids to study? Whats environmentalism without people to breathe the newly freshened air? Whats commerce without workers? Or agriculture without farmers? Think about it: people are the benefactors and the assets. Stop insisting on cutting down on people!) I want pro-life leaders because I want a Philippines that values life, and with it, family, marriage and a prevailing culture that

Drawing Lines

preserves these institutions. We cant have that if we have a president who will sign into law a bill that forces schools to teach sex education to kids as young as 10. They say age appropriate as if all kids mature in mind and heart at the same rate. In defense of sex education, another friend of mine says, Its better to learn from school than to learn through the Net...because kids are really gonna find it online. Interesting. Did you know that you can learn how to slice off your fingers and sew them back on through the Net? Maybe we should teach that in school, too. What good will knowledge of contraceptive use do for the youth anyway? Oh, lets add to that the free condom stalls theyll put up in every barangay or district (goodbye, taxpayers

Wanted: Leaders who will uphold life

money which couldve paid for someones heart transplant). Imagine growing up hearing your teachers say This is how to use this...essential medicine and then walking home to calls of Who wants a condom? You know what that makes us? Numb. Let this happen now and, in the future, you wont get shocked if kiddie fastfood meals come with kiddie condoms. Or schools start holding workshops on self pleasure. Gross? Thats whats happening in other parts of the world. Consider this: before a famous mens magazine made it big, pornography was something only a sleazebag would possess. Now, theyre calling it art. Now, women are vying for a spot on some top 100 list of Women Who
Drawing Lines / A6

CBCP Monitor

Special Issue

Opinion
see the international groups that support it suddenly jump to life to make sure that this advance will never be overturned. In the United States, we have lived with the Roe v. Wade abortion decision for nearly 40 years, while we thought in 1973 that this one Supreme Court decision would not stand long enough to change a whole culture, as it has. Dont make the same mistake in the Philippines. It is better to challenge the RH Bill while it is still outside the gate than to try to overturn what its proponents will quickly call settled law. The same strategies that have played out over the years in the United States are being implemented in the Philippines, ostensibly to enhance economic growth and social progress. The late Cardinal OConnor of New York, the great pro-life leader, used to say that before human life and morals can be attacked there must first be an attack on language. You must get people to think in different terms before leading them to act in different ways. In the United States, the Birth Control League became Planned Parenthood, pro-abortion became pro-choice, unborn babies became fetuses or products of conception, and so on. In the Philippines, a bill designed to limit family size, push contraceptives and abortifacients, and expose preteens to sexual education is cast in terms of womens health. Who can be against health for women, especially young mothers? As is true with every assault against decency and morals, the Catholic Church is cast as the main enemy of science and progress. It is amazing how the playbook of pro-abortion progressives remains the same wherever they go. Attack the Church as backward and oppressive, hold up anti-life technology as the source of Western prosperity, and infiltrate the media and the schools. The strategy which has brought Europe to the brink of demographic disaster, and threatens the future of a somewhat healthier United States, has had some success in the Philippines. It is cool there to be Western and secular, to be single and childless, and almost every national celebrity is for the RH Bill, even though their public statements indicate that they have not read much of the

A5
Ricardo Boncan

Brian Caulfield

RECENTLY I spent two weeks in Manila and was happy to see that the faith of the people is still strong in the Philippines. Yet I know from my regular contact with the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines that there are rumblings against the faith on the horizon. In the United States, we have the Health and Human Services mandate threatening religious liberty. In the Philippines, the danger comes from the RH (Reproductive Health) Bill. If I can offer any advice from our experience with the culture of death in the United States, it is this: Dont let this bill gain a foothold in the Philippines. The international forces that support the drive for the RH Bill are well-financed, powerful and patient, pushing year after year and legislative session after legislative session until they get their way. Opponents of the Bill may think these advocates are discouraged and will rest, after suffering one setback after another, but dont be deceived. The Bill has moved slightly closer to passage over time, and may be gaining greater popular support among the people. The moment it passes God forbid you will

Half a World Away

Let not the RH Bill pass

A Bill to resist

1. No doubt the enemy will try to infiltrate our ranks and provoke us. (Remember what they did during Congress sessions on the RH Bill? Instead of sitting in the pro-RH gallery reserved for them, some free thinkers sat with us in the Anti-RH gallery. They videorecorded some pro-lifers without asking permission, then created a fuss, blew it up in their blogs and through supportive media, made it appear that pro-lifers ganged up on them, the victims. I witnessed that first hand and realized how dirty they play). If they try to do the same to us on August 4, observe the rule: HUWAG PAPATOL. If we lose our cool, we lose the battleang unang mapikon, talo; we dont want them to cluck their tongues in victory. 2. Bear in mind this is a prayer rally, not a leftist demoand so we pray. The rally is a God-sent opportunity to show the world what being Christian is all about. Theyre watching us. Let us not give fodder to media by our less-than-Christian behavior. If they taunt us, let it fall on deaf ears as we keep our eyes set on Jesus crucified. Use maximum tolerance towards hecklers; they, too, are children of a forgiving God. It cant be said often enough: ours is a prayer rally, and so we pray. When they try to mock us (thats the devil trying to distract us) lets think, Lord, forgive them for they know not what theyre doing, then bless them with a smile, and resume praying without missing a beat. 3. Those who cant come to the rally, please pray in your homes. Light a candle, sit in silence, and pray The Lords Prayer just once,

8 practical tips for the August 4 Prayer Rally

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

actual text. The good news is that the RH Bill has been blocked in both the Philippine House and Senate year after year, due to the efforts of some brave legislators who are not afraid to buck the celebrity tide and withstand media ridicule. The Philippine bishops are also very vocal and clear in their opposition, and a large number of faithful Catholics take heed, including young people who are using modern means of communication and social media to spread the word that the mainstream media will not let get out. I was in the Philippines (where my wife was born and grew up) for the Knights of Columbus National Convention, which was attended by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. He said that defeat of the RH Bill must be a high priority for Filipino Knights because the Philippines is a great country, with a great people and a great culture of life that is worth preserving. Lets pray that the culture of death embodied in the RH Bill will continue to fail when faced with the faith, hope and charityand valuesof the Filipino people.

The Struggling Dad

Contraception and abortion: My 16-year-old gets it; why cant they?

and thats the truth

siblings in Christ and our Muslim brothers and sisters too far away to be with us physically. No matter what RH bill proponents claim, let us be strengthened by the fact that these fellow-Filipinos, regardless of creed, are one with us in this war against a culture of death and despair. 6. For sure there will be live radio-TV coverage. Media sympathy and support may be elusive, but just the same lets be thankful they are there. Let us urge our indisposed or bedridden family members to offer their suffering for our cause while tuned in to Radio Veritas or watching the rally and joining us for Mass on TV. We hope that the vicarious experience will convince them they are contributing greatly to the Lords work of building His kingdom on earth. 7. The rally date, August 4, is the Memorial of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests. Just last Sunday, at a Church social gathering, someone asked me, Why isnt the Church getting involved in the RH issue? I exclaimed, Hello? Dont you see our prayer rallies, the CBCP statements, the debates? Thats why the RH supporters are resorting to everything to discredit the Church! She answered, I mean in our church, our parish priest never talks about it. Could it be that the priest is not well-informed about the issue? Wonder how many other priests or parishes are in a similar situation? Let us then storm the heavens with our prayer and fasting, that from August 4, 2012 onwards, all pulpits across our

Atty. Jo Imbong

but for an hour. Too busy making dinner to be still, solitary or silent? Not to worry. As the great Saint Teresa of Avila says: the Lord walks among the pots and pans and He helps you there both externally and internally. Let The Lords Prayer spin on and on in your head as though background music until it sanctifies all your actions. Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31). 4. The text brigade advises us to wear red, and bring your own baon, drinking water, candle, flashlight, raincoat, portable chair, panglatag, etc. Sounds like a picnic for a red army? Reality check: lets bring our own trash bags so we leave the place clean. Do bring spare bags for those who have none. If there are no trash cans around, lets willingly bring our trash home with us. Its a small inconvenience to bear considering that we will be celebrating the Eucharist there. What message are we sending the world if our supposedly prayerful celebration turns the hallowed ground into a dumpsite? 5. Worried that only a handful might turn up on August 4? Lets be thankful for whatever, knowing that in some 3,800 monasteries and cloisters all over the Philippines, religious communities (of nuns and priests) will be keeping vigil during those same hours we are. And over 5,000 secular priests in parish convents of the countrys 86 dioceses will accompany us in and with their prayers. Households reached by our 57 diocesan radio stations nationwide will also join us in spirit. Add to those our

And Thats The Truth / A7

SEPARATION of Church and State is a legal principle misunderstood and wrongly invoked to discredit the pro-life agenda. This is unfortunate, for the principle actually protects the realms and mandates of those two institutions which are both oriented to human good. To dispel the error, I am posting a refutation of U.P. Professor Florin Hilbays Paper that was published in a broadsheet on June 7, 2012. What the Constitution says on the principle of separation is, One, the State cannot establish a national religion, and Two, the State cannot interfere in the free exercise of religious belief of its citizens. To simplistically interpret this principle to mean that religion is anathema to good governance is to fail to understand that the function of the State is to serve the well-being of its citizens. Man is made up of body and soul, and the Constitution acknowledges this spiritual orientation of man when it mandates that the State should not violate the religious belief of its citizens. This is so because religious belief is essentially part of a citizens perception of his well being. The flaw of Prof.

Pro Bono

Separation of Church and State

is an absurdity. If Prof. Hilbay will look deeper into the reproductive health bill he will discover the bills fiendish attempt to eradicate poverty by eliminating the poor for being a burden to the economic resources of the country. But life is more than bread. It is also about knowing what is right and what is wrong. Life precedes economics, not the other way around. Life is the end, and economics is only the means to sustain it. German philosopher Emmanuel Kant is of the same mind with his moral philosophy that man is always the end and never a means to anything else, economic or otherwise. AngProlife, like other likeminded groups, is composed of civic-minded persons motivated by the desire to become responsible and upright citizens except that most of all, it is committed to protect life and the family, the latter being the basic foundation of society, an institution that has become marginalized by the practices which the reproductive health bill seeks to legitimize into a norm of society, dooming it to

Hilbay lies in his assumption that there is an inherent conflict between the State and religion, and that all conflicts and differences connote contradiction or incompatibility. According to Filipino philosopher Felix M. Montemayor, there is no such thing as contradiction in nature. Contradiction occurs only in language. Rather, there are only opposites, polarities or contrasts. Opposites and contrasts co-exist and are inseparable from each other (e.g., body and soul, freedom and obligation, right and duty, male and female) without which, humanity is nonexistent, in the same way that without positive and negative polarities there is no electricity, just as there is no day without night, etc. The same thing can be said of the State and religion. They may differ in their domain and purpose, but they do not necessarily antagonize or cancel each other. In fact it is only through their coexistence and harmony that the well-being of man is achieved, that is, the State providing for the material goods of man and religion ministering to mans

spiritual needs. This co-existence comes about because they have a common form of referencemans well-being. The next thrust of Prof. Hilbay is that, being openly against the reproductive health and divorce bills, same-sex union and the recent concert of Lady Gaga, the organization AngProlife is necessarily an association organized for religious purposes, hence, disqualified from the Partylist system. This is false. AngProlifes objection to the reproductive health bill is anchored on the sanctity of life and the corresponding right to life which the Constitution recognizes as the highest in the hierarchy of rights. In fact, this right to life constitutes the very reason under the Social Contract doctrine why the people have found the need to organize the state at all: to protect the former against the state, including assault against the former by the state. The right to life is inalienable and non-waivable even by man himself. The economic theory of population control to promote the alleged quality of life is nothing less than putting the cart before the horse, which

TEN years ago Defensores Fidei Foundation together with ProLife Philippines brought in the late abortionist-turned-prolifer Dr. Bernard Nathanson during the pro-life month of February. Then as now, Congress was working out a Family Planning bill that was going to institutionalize contraception. Dr. Nathanson, author of the book The Hand of God gave a series of talks in different campuses on the topic of the origins of the abortion movement in the U.S. Then as now, the pro-choice (anti-life) movement was reiterating that family planning has nothing to do with abortion. Nathanson would, however, show that the movement from institutionalized contraception is one step towards the legalization of abortion. How so? Simply that abortion is a result of failed contraception. A couple chooses to contracept because they do not want to have the burden of bearing a child. When there is breakthrough ovulation as a result of the failure of the contraceptive drugs, which sometimes happens, there is fertilization and, hence, pregnancy. The mere fact of pregnancy does not change a couples position of not wanting to bear a child especially when the couple has no real commitment to each other in the first place, as in the case of casual relationships. It does not take an intelligent person to figure out what options are available after this. This is precisely Nathansons point. When they were trying to figure out how to make abortion legal, they realized they had to solicit the medias help. Admittedly, Nathanson said many times, they would feed padded data on the number of botched illegal abortions and the number of maternal deaths resulting from such to the media. He said they were able to do this primarily because artificial contraception had already been firmly entrenched in American society. Without that contraceptive mentality, the abortion movement in the U.S. would not have been successful. Tonight, my 16-year old-daughter asked me how she would best deal with pro-choice people who were challenging her beliefs in an online forum that she is active in. So I went through the talk of the inherent dignity of humans and how humans are humans regardless of the stage of development. I said that when one deals in something that is as important as human life, one needs objective, unchangeable criteria in determining if one is accorded the rights of a human being. The criteria, I said, cannot be one of mere functionality or stage of development or even degree of development. The criteria, I said, has to be within something that is the same for all humans regardless of their development, appearance or usefulness in other words, their nature and personality. This is when I remembered Nathansons conversion and suggested that she watch the video he made titled The Silent Scream, which he made before his conversion but nonetheless is a very powerful graphic argument against the notion that a human fetus cannot react in any significant way that a child can. There was a copy of the video on Youtube and as we started to watch, I explained to her the different parts of the fetus as projected in the ultrasound. When it came to the part where the fetus was actually avoiding the suction cannula and was opening its mouth, the silent scream that Nathanson himself coined, my daughter started sobbing uncontrollably. Deeply surprised by her reaction, I asked her if she knew that this was how abortions were performed. I was surprised to find out that her entire concept of an abortion was this surgically clean and humane procedure. My wife looked at me like I was a reckless oaf for exposing our daughter to this. Well, she is sixteen and she was arguing online with people who were saying that abortion is alright because fetuses dont feel. I was just giving her ammo for her future encounters. Somehow my wife knew that I was right to show her this and yet a part of her wanted to tell me that I was a dumb oaf. After calming down, my daughter said to me, Dad, how can they say that the fetus isnt human and doesnt feel? Have they seen this? How can anyone perform this kind of human cruelty even if they think the fetus is not fully human? Charity prevents me from writing here exactly what she said about those she had been arguing with, but it showed me that my daughter was now even more convinced to fight the impending Reproductive Health Bill and her online buddies. It also made me realize that many of the people who easily dismiss the Churchs teaching on contraception do not have any idea of how the evil of contraception begets the evil of abortion. My daughter got it right away, which leads me to believe that those who deny this relationship are either dumb or pretending to be. I felt that my daughter may have grown up a little too much tonight but at least I know that the girl I am sending off to college wont be easily pushed around by non-believers and pro-choice advocates. I am not sending a push-over and, oh, did I mention she has a knife collection? hang in the balance as well. With everything still to play for, both sides are deadlocked in a slug fest and no one is giving up the fight yet. For us in the pro-life side, we only have to look at the United States in order to be reminded of what we do not want to become: a society filled with modernism and emptiness, a society that for the most part does not respect life, and it all began with the simple use of contraceptives. Pope Paul VI prophesied correctly when he said that the mass distribution of contraceptives will result in a lot of evil, namely: the loss of respect for women, women claiming that their bodies are theirs alone, rise in infidelity and a general decline on morality, and governments
Pro-Life Philippines / A4

Pro Bono / A6

abuse of power especially in matters where they shouldnt even be delving into (such as population and family matters). This has been happening on a large scale in countries that disregarded Humanae Vitae; fortunately for us, our bishops decided to be faithful to Pope Paul VI and on the teachings of the Church. This might be the reason why our country holds fast to its Catholic and Filipino values. Nevertheless, like the Americans, who zealously stand guard over their freedoms, we should be eternally vigilant in order to ensure that the RH Bill does not pass. Because we all know what happens next if the RH Bill passes.

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Features Medical

CBCP Monitor

Special Issue

Doctor, nurse expose serious flaws of RH bill at youth gathering

AS a medical doctor chided proponents and staunch backers of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill for pushing the measure despite serious and much-publicized flaws, the 1,400-strong audience at the NCR Youth Day for Life openly expressed their approval for the thumbs-down sentiment towards the controversial bill. Informed decision, informed consent is a basic right and consideration of ethical systems to provide correct, factual, truthful information, Dr. Angelita Aguirre said, emphasizing the deception going on as far as the disclosure of the harmful effects of birth control supplies to patients is concerned. The young delegates at the whole-day event were rapt in attention as Aguirre presented the workings of oral contraceptives and intra-uterine devices (IUDs), serious injuries and deaths that have resulted from their use, real-life cases she had encountered in her medical practice, and the fact that the pillbreast/endometrial cancer link has long been established in the medical field. program which the government insists on pushing via House Bill 4244 or the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Hindi mo kailangang ituro [ang human sexuality] sa lahat ng subjects sa loob ng anim na taon, at kung anu-ano pang ibang sasabihin mo. Life starts at fertilization, she pointed out, adding that any student would understand such a basic concept. And if you did something that will prevent this fertilized ovum from traveling and implanting, what are you doing? Its an early abortion. So if you took something to prevent it from implanting, it is wrong. Its abortion. Again its not church data, its scientific, she explained, and flashed a bibliography that included embryology and other textbooks that would verify the information. We are human beings from the moment of conception. Ito ang hindi kinikilala ng RH bill. The audience was intermittently silent and animated, depending on what the speaker was presenting, and when the physician presented data and explanations on the harm of homosexual activity, the young participants appeared rapt in attention again. You must know this because freedom devoid of truth is slavery, hindi ba? Ang kalayaan na sala sa katotohanan ay isang pang-aalipin, and that is exactly what RH bill is doing to us, Aguirre asserted. Take note we must be compassionate and respect people with same-sex attraction, she reminded the youth. Even if one is a pagan, he must be told that sodomy is wrong, not just morally but also scientifically. Why? Because the rectum was not made for sexual intercourse; it was designed for the bodys [waste materials to pass through] it. The rectum is single-layered and has no lubrication so it can be easily bruised. Theres actually a high rate of infection among people who sodomize, she said. After giving the lowdown on eugenicist Margaret Sanger and a brief history of the American Birth Control League/ Planned Parenthood, and how the organization has partnered up with groups worldwide including the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP), the feisty speaker extolled the merits of abstinence and fidelity anchored on genuine love.
Contraceptives in govt health centers Providing another perspective to the doctors presentation was Leanne Rosal, a registered nurse who shared her expe-

Doctor challenges health professionals to expose cancer-pills connection

THE irony of Breast Cancer Awareness Month celebrated every October is that while it focuses its campaign on the cause, prevention and treatment of the disease, the connection between cancer and oral contraceptive use is ignored, lamented a Cebu-based physician. Major events such as seminars, fun runs/walks, free clinics and features on breast cancer survivors have been lined up to mark the month-long celebration, and of course these activities are very commendable, said Human Life International (HLI) Pilipinas director Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer. But I was viewing a local TV program several nights ago where the guests obstetricians and an event director discussed the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, how to avoid breast cancer and the contributory factors on how women may be afflicted with breast cancer. I was shocked that they never mentioned the role of oral contraceptives in triggering breast cancer. One of the doctor-panelists even denied the pill-cancer connection, Bullecer related. As a doctor of medicine and a pro-life fighter, I cannot afford to just close my eyes and ears to the truth that the use of oral contraceptive pills as well as Depo-Provera injectables can cause cancer, as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on July 29, 2005 that artificial contraceptives are carcinogenic, at par with cigarettes and asbestos,
Pro Bono / A5

Truth on sex ed, beginning of life In tackling the basics of the beginning of human life, the physician, who has for decades been engaged in the pro-life crusade, criticized the sex education

Women deserve truth about Pills dangers, says doctor

riences while working for a government hospital. She lamented the irony of health centers being stocked with oral contraceptives yet lacking in the basic medicines and medical supplies. Sinabi ko sa mga kasama ko, bakit natin kailangang mamigay ng contraceptives kung yung mga kailangan nating ibigay sa mga health center hindi natin kayang ibigay? Rosal recalled, explaining that the death of patients in many cases many of them children could have been prevented had the hospital been equipped with medicine for cough, fever and other such ailments. Rosal related instances which had talking with women who queue up at the health center to be given birth control pills. Kapag tinanong mo sila, Alam niyo po ba kung ano tong gamot na to? sasabihin nila, Vitamins yan, pampalakas ng katawan, the nurse lamented. She also affirmed her dedication to upholding life no matter what. As a nurse I vowed I wont administer a deleterious drug, and I know from what I have learned that Depo-provera will kill women. It wont help women, she told the audience, who cheered her after she expressed her pro-life conviction.

Sounding out an appeal The young nurse then directed her next remarks to her former boss, [Health] Secretary Ona, and appealed for a shift in priorities in addressing the health needs of the Filipino people. I know youve given out a memorandum on the RH bill, but before we do that, kahit wheelchair ng mga taong nakapilat may sakit, ibigay naman natin yon. Please give wheelchairs and stretchers to the ERs of hospitals. Alam kong importante din ang maternal health, she continued, pero bakit sa may simpleng sakit na tuberculosis they could not be given proper health management by our government? Seventy-five people die everyday [due to tuberculosis]. It pains my heart as a nurse. Why? Because everytime Im in the hospital I see people dying and I see people struggling for life, and here we are pushing a bill that will destroy the essence of life. In an earlier interview, NCR Youth Ministry coordinator Peter Eric Pardo said the event may be followed by a series of activities in the respective dioceses of the youth participants as venues to echo the fruits of the July 22 gathering, which drew remarkably more participants than expected. (CBCP for Life)

he pointed out. Artificial contraceptives can trigger cancer of the breast, cervix and liver. Besides the WHO declaration, Department of Health (DOH) former chief Dr. Esperanza Cabral also admitted in an April 2011 interview over DZIQ that contraceptive pills increase the risk of breast cancer. I really pity our women for more than 40 years since the artificial family planning program started in 1967, women were never told about the horrible medical side-effects of these pills, Bullecer said. How many hundreds of thousands of Filipina mothers have died because of cancers, stroke, hypertension, diabetes triggered by oral contraceptive use? Who will speak for these helpless victims? he said further. I am challenging all doctors, nurses and midwives in this country, particularly those working in the government or NGOs who vigorously promote these products in their day-to-day campaign, and I dare them to speak up for the truth (or they are themselves traitors to their own patients and countrymen) and expose the hidden agenda of the multi-billion peso pill manufacturers at the expense of the health and lives of Filipino women, the doctor said. With the sinister RH Bill pushed in both chambers [of Congress], can the proponents say we never knew about these? And then even proudly declare that the RH Bill is pro-women? (CBCP for Life)

decadence. Will the fact that AngProlife believes that to protect life is more than just a constitutional mandate but a transcendent spiritual truth operate to disqualify it from the Party-list system? Do Pro-Life groups have to profess Atheism to be able to participate in a political exercise? But does not the Constitution precisely protect the free exercise of religious belief? One should go slow in demonizing religion whose only concern is the development of virtuous people. Prof. Hilbay should realize that only a virtuous people
Drawing Lines / A4

Need Men To Drool Over Them So They Can Have Higher Self-Esteem. The very people who should be offended by this kind of material are outdoing each other to be one of the top 100 most objectified women in the country. Ironic? Were just numb. I dont want our country to become numb. I dont want casual sex to become a norm, marriage merely a contract, and family just a collection of individuals living in the same house. I sure hope the majority is with me on this.

can be promoters of the common good. In fact, history teaches us that without a strong moral foundation no civilization can survive. If civilization is the fruit, morality is the stem and religion is the root. Considering the importance of religion to national development, Church and State relations should not be interpreted along the divisive spirit of contradiction and separation but by the harmonization and the reconciliation of the material and spiritual demands of mans well being. Church and State are both needed to promote the wellbeing of man.

WOMENS lives are worth disclosing the truth for, so they should be informed of the dangerous consequences some of them life-threatening of contraceptive use, said a Cebubased physician. The risk of cancer, blood clotting, stroke, heart attack, diabetes and other diseases is often downplayed as a side effect of artificial contraceptives, but the health of women is being sacrificed, said Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer, director of Human Life International (HLI) Pilipinas during the Philippines for Life national congress attended by some 200 pro-life delegates from all over the country. After explaining the ingredients and the mechanisms of action of oral contraceptives, and the threats to womens lives that these drugs posed to those who used them, Bullecer reiterated that birth control pills have been declared a Class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). They are on the same level as asbestos and tobacco. So if warnings are placed on the labels of cigarette packs, like Cigarette

smoking is dangerous to your health, or that it causes cancer, or to use them at your own risk, why not also put in contraceptive [packaging] the same message? the doctor stated.

Mom faces the truth about pills, finds peace of mind

I INCREASINGLY hear of more and more cases of breast cancer, and taking the pill just isnt worth the risk of being one of those women. Because I was on the pill for nearly three years, the fact that I knowingly increased my chance of [developing] breast cancer haunts me. I just wish I were wiser then and never took it at all. Mother of two, Tintin has freed herself from contracepted sex and its consequences both actual and possible and she made this choice primarily out of concern for her health. But later on she and her husband learned that her decision would also allow the very survival of any of her future babies still in the initial stages of life. We have never looked back since [deciding to use the natural method of family planning] and Im glad we made that decision because over the years since we stopped using the pill, weve learned that the pill can actually cause [chemical] abortions, the 32-year-old artist said. The chance may be slim, but why would you needlessly take that chance? This is someones life on the line and you dont toy around with that. Like many other young women these days, Tintin adopted the default notion of artificial contraception as the way to delay pregnancy. As a soon-to-be bride some years ago, she asked her doctors recommendation for a good birth control pill brand and was given a good brand that was low-dose and had the least side effects, without the doctor really explaining possible risks it involved besides weight gain and nausea.

Disrupting the womans natural rhythm with artificial hormones Bullecer, who was also event organizer of the recently concluded congress, has spent more than a decade educating women about the workings of the body and the disruption caused by artificial contraceptives, saying that women need to be helped to realize the implications of putting chemicals unnecessarily into the body. I always tell the women, many of them simple folks: Mayroon ba kayong hormones sa katawan niyo? Mayroon ba kayong estrogen? They say, Yes, sir. Progestin, mayroon ba sa katawan ninyo? Yes, sir. So bakit pa kayo iinom ng mayroon na pala kayo sa katawan niyo? And you are taking it [in artificial form] hindi totoo. These [synthetic hormones] are just trying to mimic whats in your body,

Body the most important ecology to protect We dont want trash, dirt in our rivers because they ruin the ecology. First and foremost you have to think this over the most important ecology is the womans body, and the number one pollutants are the artificial contraceptives, he said. Maybe your midwife never told you about it, maybe the

he related the conversations he had had with numerous groups of women. The physician explained further that when a woman takes contraceptive pills, not only does she break the feminine cycle, but the brain receives conflicting messages about her fertility as well. Why do you women take artificial estrogen and progestin when you naturally produce those? You are confusing your body fertile, not fertile, fertile, not fertile Women are not told either that even though one goes on oral contraceptives for only a few years, some of the effects remain for life, Bullecer lamented.

barangay health worker never told you about it. But I am speaking as a doctor of medicine, research has shown and in fact the International Agency for Research on Cancer in July 2005 revealed, through WHO, that oral contraceptive pills, including Depo-Provera and IUDs, not only are abortifacient, but are Class [1] carcinogenic. Class 1 means, it may trigger cancer just like cigarettes. The HLI country director went further and made an appeal to government authorities tasked with formulating and enforcing policies regarding consumer products: Thats why Im asking the proper authorities in the government, whether its BFAD, DTI or Department of Health dapat lang, if you put labels on cigarette packaging that state Smoking causes cancer, Smoking is dangerous to your health, Smoking kills, please naman, paki-label ang lahat ng brands ng artificial contraceptives whether they are being sold over the counter, in the market or binibigay ng libre that this product is hazardous to your health. (CBCP for Life)

Regardless of the brand of contraceptive pills (she used more than one), a common consequence was undeniable. The main reason Tintin decided to stop taking pills the first time was the decision by the couple to start trying to have a baby. She conceived three months later and gave birth to a boy, whom she breastfed for over a year. The husband-and-wife team has been living the natural family planning (NFP) lifestyle for some six years, with Tintin conceiving again two months after the couple decided to try for a second child. And we are now at peace with any accidental pregnancies that might happen because we now realize that if God wants to bless us with another child, then he will. And no type of prevention can stop that from happening! (CBCP for Life)

CBCP For Life

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Features Moral

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WHEN one explains the basis of his choices with I have to follow my conscience, does this mean that the person takes pains to form and refine his conscience? Not always. Most Rev. Gabriel V. Reyes, Bishop of Antipolo, pointed out that freedom of conscience is often mistaken to mean freedom to do whatever one likes, thereby leading to far from ideal choices. Freedom is the right to do what we ought. What we ought to do is linked to what is true and what is good It is true that we have the obligation to follow what our conscience tells us before we act. Conscience is the proximate norm of morality. But we also have the obligation to try our best to have a correct conscience, Reyes said on the second day of the National Philippines for Life Congress at the Summit Circle Hotel. Those who support HB 4244 say something like this: I have freedom of conscience. I have a
And Thats The Truth / A5

Choices must be based on correct conscience, bishop reminds faithful

right to follow my conscience. If I think that a teaching of the Church is wrong, then I have not to follow it, he added. The prelate, in his talk titled Pro-life advocacy: Its urgency in our present society, lamented the way some individuals are falling into a relativistic manner of evaluating issues, in which everything is subjective with no absolute reality to rely on. then this will lead to chaos, Reyes explained. Where there is a conflict of truths what usually happens is that one imposes his own truth on others. Finally, this will lead to the rule of the most powerful. The Catholic Churchs teaching on contraception remains the same, but what requires emphasis is that this teaching is not based on Faith or revelation, though it is confirmed by our Faith. This Church teaching is based on natural law, which we know through natural reason By the efforts of the Church to go against the RH bill, the Church is not imposing her religious beliefs on others. She is trying to stop a bill which is against natural law, a law which all human beings, Catholic or not, should follow, the bishop pointed out. After delving on the common tendency to maintain a truth is what I think is true mindset and to think of God has having no place in government, in laws

Parenthood / A1

Elections / A1

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parenthood may be the solution to the perennial shortage of classrooms. Responsible parenthood was a term coined by the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae, which upheld the ban on artificial contraception. The encyclical states: With regard to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, responsible parenthood is exercised by those who prudently and generously decide to have more children, and by those who, for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts, decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite period of time. Palma said it is quite disturbing when the country is told that having too many school children is a burden to the national budget. There is a grave reason to worry when government would rather sup-

Philippines (CBCP) said. Msgr. Joselito Asis, CBCP secretary general, said the Church is strongly against the reproductive health (RH) bill and will do everything even up to the point of campaigning against politicians supporting it. Even though supporting the RH bill is not a grounds for excommunication, he said the fate of all lawmakers in politics still lies in the voters, majority of whom are Catholics. The people will excommunicate by not voting for them. The people themselves will judge them they are the ones who will decide. The role of the Church is just to explain the (flaws of the RH bill), Asis said. While admitting that there is no such thing as Catholic vote in the country, the CBCP official said the RH bill will be part of other issues that will be included in the Churchs voters education program.

We do not impose there is not bloc voting because we respect the freedom of choice. What we are saying is that we will make the bill an election issue to raise the awareness of the people, he added. So far, Asis claimed that the Church has the number of most lawmakers who assured their opposition against the measure, which requires huge government funding on artificial contraceptives. He said they also believe that the bill would still have to undergo a long process and would not be passed in the current 15th Congress. But Asis stressed that there is no reason yet to celebrate. The problem with these congressmen is that when they are facing the bishops, they are saying a different thing, he also said. The Church will never give up. We have to fight for what is right. The Church will not stop fighting, Asis said. (CBCPNews)

press population through an RH bill instead of confronting the real causes of poverty, he said. Palma said the issue of maternal deaths, which lobbyists have been exploiting to ramp up pressure on lawmakers, could be solved without enacting the RH measure. The issue on maternal deaths is a serious concern. The solution does not lie in suppressing births as provided in the RH Bill, he said. Providing proper and adequate maternal care could be done without passing the RH bill, but by strengthening and improving access to existing medical services. Palma reminded the faithful that Every birth is a gift from God; every new life, a blessing; every birth a cause for rejoicing and praising God who creates new life only out of love. (Dominic Francisco)

ity March and Mass for Life Against RH bill. The impending issue on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill is giving us a great challenge to manifest our faith into action that would translate into Love of God, Love of Neighbor, and Love of Country, Palma said. We need to make manifest our being Christians by showing support that will also shout loud out strong opposition against the bill, which Congress will tackle into a critical moment of decision on August 7, he added. The role of the laity in the temporal order and especially in politics is the key for the evangelization of society, Palma said quoting Pope Benedict VXI. Palma will lead the march and also preside the Mass which will highlight the anti-

Rally / A1

RH protest. Thousands to join march The Knights of Columbus (KC) in Laguna and the Family Life Ministry in the Diocese of San Pablo are joining hands in mobilizing thousands of Lagunenses to support the Prayer Rally on Saturday in protest against the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill being pushed by Malacanang. According to District Deputy Grand Knight Ricardo Supena, the KC contingents from Laguna joining the rally would have assemblies in three areas in San Pedro town, Calamba City and San Pablo City. Meanwhile Laguna Bishop Leo M. Drona is encouraging all parishioners and priests in the diocese who have the same convictions with the Catholic Bishops Conference

Be true to Catholic convictions None of us should ever apologize for

our fidelity to the teaching of Mother Church, he reminded the more than 200 attendees at the event. As Catholics we have a right and a duty to make sure that in this predominantly Catholic country, no anti-Catholic edict should stamp the boot of totalitarianism on our Catholic convictions, our Catholic culture, our Catholic conscience, and the Filipino family, whatever its faith. We must show the world that if and when the truth calls on us to stand for its defense, we Filipino Catholics shall be there to stand together and march together, whatever the cost or consequence, for God, family and country. (CBCP for Life)

of the Philippines (CBCP) to protect life and join thousands of diocesan and Luzonwide constituents in protesting the evils of RH bill on Saturday. The prelate said he is praying that all four Congressmen in Laguna would finally signify their categorical decision to oppose the passage of the (RH) bill pending in Congress which is being rushed for approval by the house leadership in cahoots with Malacanang. He said in Pilipino that all Catholic constituencies in Laguna should support those Congressmen whose convictions are in conformity with the Gospel values and the CBCP. For his part, Fr. Edwin Lusterio, the newly appointed Director of the Diocesan Family Life Commission (DFLC) said

he is meeting and consolidating the officers of the commission all over the diocese to plan their move for Saturdays rally. Drona said the Diocese of San Pablo is always at the forefront in this fight involving the protection of human life and the dignity of every human individual by protesting against this anti-life and anti-family RH measure. He further reminded all priests and parishioners in the diocese to continue praying the Oratio Imperata against RH at Holy Masses celebrated in all parishes and chapels in Laguna until the bill considered by the Catholic Church as immoral and a threat against life and family is finally repelled once and for all. (with reports from Jandel Posion and Fr. Romy Ponte)

T. Rolf

in the Philippines. The IPPF report contradicts a statement by RH sponsor Sen. Pia Cayetano that IPPFs local member association, the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP), which had participated in three public hearings for the RH bill, does not support abortion. In September last year, Cayetano said during the interpellation period for the bill: What I understand from the local organization [FPOP] is that they have many common objectives with these [international] organizations, including access to contraceptives [and] access to family planning. However, because of the fact that one of the methodologies, which is abortion, is not available in the Philippines, is not legal, then they cannot and they do not support this. The 2011 financial report of IPPF showed that it gave nearly $785,000 (nearly P33 million) to groups backing

land may reverberate with our pleas for lifeso that the contraceptive mentality may NEVER take root in Philippine soil, or worm its way into our God-fearing hearts. 8. Commemorating the death of St. John Mary Vianney, let us also pray that the occasion may serve as a reconciliatory moment of grace for all priests who are

When everyone has his own truth According to Benedict XVI, A dictatorship of relativism is being constituted that recognizes nothing as absolute and which only leaves the I and its whims as the ultimate measure. Relativism says that there are no universal truths, which are true always and everywhere. Everything is relative. Truth depends on your situation, on the way you see things. Ultimately it means truth is what I think is true. I have my own truth. If everyone has his own truth,

the RH bill: Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP), $625,095; Likhaan Center for Womens Health, $84,776; and The Womens Global Network Reproductive Rights, $75,092. Abortion is one of IPPFs Five As, with a strategy of Advocating for the right to safe abortion services and providing them to the fullest extent permitted by law. The groups aim is to ensure access to abortion services within an integrated sexual and reproductive health package. Since 2005, there has been a notable increase in the number of Member Associations expanding their abortion programmes, the proportion of Associations providing surgical and medical abortion services increasing from 21% in 2005 to 31% in 2010, while 71% now advocate for legal change compared to 53% in 2005, the report said. (Dominic Francisco)

experiencing conflicts with other priests or with their bishops. May their prayers for the unborn cause these consecrated men to come in communion with one another, so that healed, forgiven, forgiving and renewed, they may become more worthy mediators between Christ and His Church. That God may be glorified! And thats the truth.

DONT impose your beliefs on other people has been the standard response of some pro-RH individuals to Catholics who oppose legislation that promotes reproductive health (RH). But at a national Philippines for Life congress sponsored by Human Life International (HLI)-Pilipinas, it became clear that it is in pushing the RH bill that imposition and grave injustice are being committed. The duty of the State is to respect and protect our profession and practice of our faith, just as it must respect and protect the profession and practice of any and all other faiths. We reject contraception and sterilization as intrinsically evil, according to the teaching of our faith. But the RH bill wants us to practice contraception and sterilization, and even use our tax money to pay for the program that attacks our belief, former Sen. Francisco Kit Tatad, as one of the speakers, pointed out. Its like the victims of despotic repression and persecution being asked to pay for the bullets that would be used to execute them. What will it take for the President and the RH proponents in Congress to see that this is religious persecution, pure and simple? Dont they believe that we have the right, even perhaps the duty, to resist such injustice? he continued. The measure that is being aggressively pushed in both Houses of Congress is an attack on a teaching of the Catholic faith, Tatad pointed out, and he enjoined faithful Catholics to respond to this attack. He does clarify that the atheist, the pagan, the non-Catholic, or the lapsed Catholic cannot be asked to carry out this opposition on the basis of our faith. We cannot ask Congress, and for that very reason we are not asking Congress, to act as the enforcer of our Catholic faith. But we can ask, and we must ask Congress not to disrespect nor trample upon our Catholic faith, he stressed.

Resisting RH = promoting tolerance, fidelity to the Catholic faith

Who is demonstrating nontolerance? As for nonCatholics who ask that Catholic belief not to be imposed on them, that is a fair request fairly put and properly understood, Tatad said. But there is no attempt on the part of Catholics to impose their belief on non-Catholics. The exact opposite may be the case. We are not trying to stop anyone who wants to contracept or get sterilized from contracepting or getting sterilized. If any religious sect, group or organization believes that contraception is good for ones soul or health, our Catholic opposition to the RH bill should not disturb them at all, for even now they are free to contracept and sterilize themselves and can continue doing so even after the RH bill is archived, the former senator explained. They are, however, precisely the ones who want to impose their belief or nonbelief on Catholics, said Tatad. They want us to accept from Congress what is contrary to our faith. They ask Catholics to show tolerance for their belief or non-belief, but they show complete non-tolerance for our Catholic belief.

and public debates, the bishop reminded the audience of the duty to safeguard our nation from such principles taking root here. It is urgent that we fight against these false ideas and principles. They are used by people as

a justification for their promotion of anti-life bills. Because of these ideas, they exclude morality in the making of laws. They only consider what is utilitarian or convenient as their criterion in making laws.

These ideas are already prevalent in Europe and in the United States, he continued. They are coming to the Philippines. Let us pray and work that these ideas will not be accepted by our people. (CBCP for Life)

CBCP For Life

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Ni Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
Tanong 1. Wala po kaming panahong basahin at unawain ang kopya ng RH Bill na nasa kamay namin, pero napanood po naming pinagdedebatihan sa TV. Ano po ba talaga ang kontrobersyal na RH Bill na yan?
Sagot: Ito ang Reproductive Health Bill 4244, na naka-base sa paniniwalang labis nang lumolobo ang populasyon ng Pilipinas na siyang nagiging sanhi ng lubos nitong paghihirap. Maraming ulit na itong isinususog sa kongreso ng Pilipinas ngunit hindi ito makapasa para maging batas.

Q & A Trivia
bata. Ayon sa ating Constitution, dapat suportahan hindi pangunahanng gobyerno ang pamilya. Papaano kung ang gustong ituro sa eskuwela ay taliwas sa nais ng mga magulang na matutunan ng mga anak nila? Kung hangad ng gobyerno na tulungan ang mga anak ng mahihirap, dapat daw ay turuan nila ang mga magulang at hayaang ang mga ito ang pumili ng ituturo sa kabataan, pagkat sila ang nakakakilala ng kahinugan ng isip ng kanilang mga anak. Tutol sila na anim na taong tuturuan ang kanilang mga anak tungkol sa sexuality na sisimulan habang mura pa ang isipan ng mga bata, pagkat sa loob ng panahong ito, maaaring mapunta sa hindi maganda ang pagpapahalaga ng mga bata tungkol sa katawan nila, lalo nat libre ang mga gamot at serbisyong pipigil sa pagbubuntis.

CBCP Monitor

Special Issue

Mga Tanong at Sagot tungkol sa RH Bill 4244

Tanong 2. Bakit po hindi ito makapasa, samantalang sabi po sa debate ay mabuti daw ito?
Sagot: Kung lubos na mabuti ito, di sanay matagal na itong naging batas. Marami pong mga bagay sa RH Bill ang tinututulan ng maraming Kongresista, unang-una na ay yung pinagpipilitan ng Bill na gawing solusyon sa kahirapan ang pagliit ng populasyon. Pakay ng RH Bill na magpamigay ang gobyerno nang libre sa mahihirap ng mga gamot at serbisyong nakapipigil sa pagbubuntis, tulad ng mga birth control pills, condoms, IUD, ineksiyon atbp. Isinasaad sa Sec. 10 ng Bill na ang mga ito daw ay dapat ibilang na mga essential medicines and supplies of all national and local hospitals and other government health units. Humihingi ang RH Bill ng budget na 13.7 billion pesos, halagang manggagaling po sa kaban ng bayanopo, sa ating mga mamamayang nagbabayad ng buwis. Ang higit na makikinabang at tutubo sa ganitong sistema ay ang mga pharmaceutical companies pagkat gagawin nang batas ang pagbili ng mga produktong naturan. Ibig sabihin, kapag nilabag mo, paparusahan ka dahil batas na siya. Ayon sa mga tumututol, hindi tama na ilagay sa panganib ang kalusugan ng mga ina at kababaihan sa paggamit ng mga naturang gamot at serbisyong ito na ayon din sa mga pagsusuri ng medisina sa buong mundo ay nakakapinsala sa kalusugan ng gagamit. Makabubuti pa raw na ang salaping iyon ay gugulin na lamang sa mga bagay na higit na kailangan at makakatulong sa pag-unlad ng Pilipino, tulad ng pagpapagawa ng mga eskwelahan, kalsada, balon ng tubig, ospital, at sa pag-ayuda sa pagkakaroon ng hanapbuhay ng mga maralita.

Tanong 6. Paano po lalabag sa Constitution ang pagpapakalat ng contraceptive pills, libre pa naman ito?

Sagot: Tama, at hindi lamang iyan, pati ang mga matatanda ay apektado din: a) Ang mga may-ari ng pagawaan o opisina (employers) ay mapipilitang magdulot ng reproductive health services sa kanilang mga empleyado, kahit na tutol ang konsiyensya nila dito; at b) ang mga health care service providers naman (doctors, nurses, midwives atbp.) ay kailangang maging handang magbigay ng mga gamot na kontra-buntis o magsagawa ng vasectomy o ligation (pagtatali sa lalaki man o babae) kahit ito salungat sa turo ng kanilang relihiyon. Kung hindi nila tutuparin ang hinihingi ng batas, makukulong sila. Ang sistemang ito ay paglabag sa Art. III, Sec. 5 ng ating Constitution na gumagarantiya na The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed.

Tanong 3. Totoo po ba na sa RH Bill ay bibigyan ng sex education ang mga bata kahit Grade 5 pa lang
Sagot: Totoo po. Yun po ay nasa SEC. 16. Mandatory Age-Appropriate Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education. Lahat po ng mga estudyante mula Grade 5 to 4th year high school ay ipapailalim sa sexuality education kung saan matututuhan nila ang pagpaplano ng pamilya hindi lamang sa natural na paraan kungdi sa pamamagitan din ng paggamit ng mga makakapigil ng pagbubuntis tulad ng condom at pildoras. Kasama din sa mga ituturo ay ang tinatawag nilang safe sex o pakikipagtalik nang hindi nauuwi sa pagbubuntis o sa pagkahawa sa sakit ng katalik (AIDS, halimbawa).

Tanong 4. Mahaba-haba din yung anim na taon; ano po ang magiging epekto ng ganoong uri ng sex education sa pamilya?
Sagot: Bagamat ayon sa RH Bill, magsasanay sila ng mga guro at iaakma ang pagtuturo ng sex education sa edad ng mga bata, marami pong mga magulang ang nababahala dito. Hindi raw tama na akuin ng estado ang karapatan at pananagutan ng mga magulang na magturo sa kanilang mga anak ayon sa kanilang paniniwala. Hindi raw tumpak na dumiretso ang gobyerno sa mga

Tanong 7. Kung hindi naman po contraceptive pills ang gamit ng mag-asawa kungdi pagpapatali, siguro naman ay hindi na ito labag sa Constitution pagkat wala naman pong bagong taong kinikitil ang vasectomy o ligation?

Sagot: Walang birth control pills na syento-porsyentong epektibo sa pagpigil sa paglilihi. Kahit na umiinom na nito ang babae, maaari pa ring magtagpo sa pagtatalik ang itlog ng babae at semilya ng lalaki at bumuo ng bagong taoito ang fertilization at moment of conception. Ngunit kahit magkaroon ng fertilization sa isang babaeng nagpi-pills, hindi matutuloy ang pagbubuntis pagkat pinapanipis ng pills ang lining ng bahay-bata na siyang kakapitan ng fertilized egg upang maghanda sa kaniyang pagsilang makatapos ng siyam na buwan. Ito ang kahulugan ng abortifacient effect o chemical abortionsa madaling salita, kinikitil nito ang bagong nilalang na nasa sinapupunan. Pagkat ipinagkakait nito ang likas na ikinabubuhay ng fertilized egg, hindi na ito makakakapit sa matres at bagkus, ay ilalabas na lamang ito ng katawan na parang namuong dugo (blood clot) kasama ng regla. Sa katunayan, ang namuong dugo na ito ay tao na, miyembro na ng pamilya. Ang chemical abortion na ito ay labag sa Art. II, Sec. 10 ng Constitution na nagsasabing: The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception

Tanong 8. Kung hindi po mapoprotektahan ng estado ang pamilya at pag-aasawahan, paano na po ang mga kabataan na anak ng mga pamilyang ito?
Sagot: Iyon na nga po ang napakasaklap dito. Kapag pumasa po ang RH Bill, pati na po ang mga menor de edad na dalagita na inaabuso o nabuntis ay maaari nang makinabang sa mga reproductive health services nang hindi na kailangang humingi ng pahintulot sa magulang. Kung magagalit at tututol ang mga magulang sa ibibigay ng mga health centers maaaring magsumbong ang anak at makulong pa ang mga nakikialam na magulang. Kung magiging libre na nga po ang mga pampigil sa pagbubuntis at hindi na rin maaaring pakialaman ng magulang ang kanilang mga dalagita, malamang na ikapariwara na rin ito ng mga kabataan. Kayat lalabagin po ng RH Bill ang likas at pangunahing karapatan ng mga magulang na palakihin at arugain ang kanilang mga anak upang maging mabubuting mamamayan, na nakasaad po sa Art. II, Sec. 12 ng ating Constitution: The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the Government.

Sagot: Kapag naging batas ang RH Bill, kahit ang pagpapatali lamang ay maaari nang maging sanhi ng pagkakasira ng mag-asawahan pagkat ipapahintulot nito ang vasectomy at ligation kahit walang pagsang-ayon ng asawa. Puwede nang magpa-vasectomy si mister o magpa-ligate si misis nang walang paalam sa isat isa. Sa madaling salita, walang pakialaman. Sa gayon, isinusulong ng RH Bill sa tiyak na panganib ang pamilya at ang pag-aasawahan, isang tahasang paglabag sa Art. XV, Sec. 2 ng ating Constitution na nagwiwikang: Marriage, as an inviolable social institution, is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the State. Sa paningin ng Constitution ang pag-aasawahan ay isang sagradong pundasyon ng lipunan na dapat pangalagaan ng estado. Sinisira ng RH Bill ang pundasyong ito, ang paggalang ng mag-asawa sa isat isa, ang pag-uusap, pagkakasundo at pagpapasiya nang maayos, bagkus ay ginagawa nitong tama ang kanyakanya mentality na nakikita naman nating simula ng pagkakawatak-watak ng pamilya.

sasang-ayon kung sakaling maging batas na ang RH Bill?

Tanong 10. Ang ibig ba ninyong sabihin ay paparusahan ang kokontra sa RH Bill kapag naging batas na yon? Ano naman po ang parusa sa mga susuway?
Sagot: Opo, ang sino mang sasaway ay maaaring makulong o mamultahan. Halimbawa, nurse ka sa eskuwela, at may isang babaeng high school student na hihingi sa iyo ng morning-after pill iyon bang pildoras na iniinom ng babae kapag nakipag-sex siya nang walang proteksyon laban sa pagbubuntis noong nakaraang gabi; sinisiguro ng morningafter pill na dadating ang regla niya, kahit nagkataong fertile siya noong gabing iyon, pagkat kaya nitong patayin ang kahit limang-araw na gulang na bata sa sinapupunan. Kung ikaw na nurse ay hindi magbibigay ng pill sa humihingi dahil alam mong abortifacient iyon at nakakalaglag, paparusahan kakulong o multa, dahil ang nasa Sec. 29 ng RH Bill: Any violation of this Act or commission of the foregoing prohibited acts shall be penalized by imprisonment ranging from one (1) month to six (6) months or a fine of Ten Thousand (P 10,000.00) to Fifty Thousand Pesos (P 50,000.00).

Sagot: Paparusahan ang kahit sinong tao na maghahayag ng opinion o impormasyon na kontra sa hangad at nilalaman ng RH Bill kapag naging batas ito. Halimbawa, mga komentarista sa radyo, kolumnista sa diyaryo, mga guro, mga nag-ra-rally o nagse-sermonmaaaring makulong sila kapag hayagan nilang kinalaban ito. Samakatuwid, susuway ang RH Bill sa Art. III, Sec. 4 ng ating Constitution na nagsasabing No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press... Kaya hindi tama na ipasa ito at gawing batas sapagkat lalagyan nito ng busal ang mga tao at hahadlangan ang ating karapatang magpahayag ng sarili ng buong laya.

Tanong 12. May magagawa ba kami para mahinto ang pagsulong ng RH Bill?

kapakanan ng kababaihan, ay napapaloob na pong lahat sa tinatawag nating Magna Carta of Women! Samakatuwid, batas na, at kailangan lamang ay maigting na pagpapatupad! Itoy buong giting pong ipinapaliwanag ng mga Kongresistang tutol sa RH Bill sa Batasang Pambansa kung saan masusing sinisiyasat ang RH Bill. Wika nila, kung tutuusin, kapag inalis sa RH Bill ang mga puntos nitong sakop na ng Magna Carta for Women, wala nang matitira kundi ang mga hindi kanais-nais na parte na ating tinatalakay dito.

Tanong 11. Eh bakit po sa mga debate sa TV, lagi pong sabi ng mga sponsors ng RH Bill at ng mga artista sa panig nila, eh makakabuti daw yon sa kalusugan ng mga ina at kababaihan, at women empowerment pa daw iyon, kaya sino ba aayaw doon?
Sagot: Siyempre, sino nga ba ang hindi magkakagusto sa mabubuting puntos ng RH Bill? Ang katawa-tawa po doon ay, ang matatawag na mabubuting bahagi ng RH Bill, yaong mangangalaga sa kalusugan at

Tanong 9. Nakakakilabot namang isipin na magiging parang sapilitan ang pagsunod sa mga patakarang iyan! Ano po ang mangyayari kung hindi kami

Quotes
Rev. Fr. Melvin Castro, Executive Secretary of the CBCPs Episcopal Commission on FamYung pinagpipilitang State inter vention, itanong ko lamang po sa mga nagpopropose ng bill na ito:Pinagdududahan po ba natin ang kakayahan ng mga magulang?

ily and Life (ECFL) at the May 8, 2011 television debate They want us to accept from Congress what is contrary to our faith. They ask Catholics to show tolerance for their belief or non-belief, but they show complete non-tolerance for our Catholic belief.

The crusade for a culture of life is an advocacy of truth, and based on the goings-on in 2011 alone, the pro-life advocacy has covered a lot of ground and, inadvertently, saw much success in promoting the truth. Heres what went on in 2011 through the words uttered by various players in the quest to have the culture of life prevail in Philippine society.
Kit Tatad 11 mothers die everyday is a phrase used by NGOs to drive home the point. Enrile, replying to Cayetano bill are beyond doubt. [In the RH bill] you are reducing a human being into nothing but an object. A human being is rational. He is endowed by God with will. We have a will to say no to ourselvespuwede mong pigilin ang iyong sarili. Kung ang tao ay nakakaramdam ng sexual urges sapagkat tao ka, maaari mong pigilin at maaari kang magtimpi. Hindi po tayo parang mga aso sa kalye. If they are in heat, they have to do the sexual act because they have no will to control their actions. But we are human.

Sagot: Malaki. Simulan natin sa pagiisip para matunton natin ang katotohanan: Bakit isinusulong ng RH Bill ang mga gamot at serbisyong napatunayan na ng medisinang nagdudulot ng higit na panganib kaysa tulong sa katawan ng babae? Bakit gagastahan ng gobyerno ng bilyon- bilyong piso ang mga gamot at serbisyong ito para pigilin diumano ang paglobo ng populasyonna para ba itong sakit o epidemic na dapat sugpuin? Bakit sapilitang isasagawa ito sa pamamagitan ng pagpaparusa sa mga hindi sumasangayon? Bakit nais simulan ng RH Bill ang pagtuturo ng pananaw nito sa ating mga kabataan? Ang paniniwala na ang malaking populasyon natin ang ugat ng ating kahirapan ay mula sa isipang banyaga na pilit ipinalululon ng RH Bill sa ating mga Pilipino. Idilat natin ang ating mga mata at tunghayan kung ano ang sinapit ng mga bansang nagpasa ng sistema ng RH Bill: nakakagimbal na pagdami ng sakit ng mga babae dulot ng paggamit ng contraceptive drugs and devices; pagkaubos ng lahi at pagtanda ng populasyon pagkat ayaw o hindi na mag-anak ng karamihan; pagkalat ng AIDS at iba pang mga sexually transmitted diseases (STD, o mga sakit na nakukuha sa pagtatalik); higit na pagdami ng pagbubuntis ng mga dalagita at higit na pagdami ng kasong aborsyon (kapag pumalpak ang inaasahang contraceptive drugs and devices); pagtaas ng bilang ng diborsyo; patuloy na pagkakawatakwatak ng mga pamilya, at marami pang ibang hindi natin kailanman nanaising mangyari sa ating bayan. Tayo lamang mga Pilipino ang magkapagsasabi kung paano natin iibsan ang ating kahirapan. Naway makita ng lahat ng ating mga namumuno at mga mambabatas na tayo ay may sariling lakas, yaman at talino upang unawain at umahon sa ating kinasadlakang kahirapan, upang sa halip na higit tayong pahirapan ng RH Bill ay magkaisa tayo tungo sa ganap na pag-unlad ng sambayanang Pilipino.

former Senator Francisco

Sen. Pia Cayetano, during a Sept. floor debate with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile I want to make sure that statistical numbers used for the possible passage of this

Leyte Rep. Lucy TorresGomez

Human life is a gift. Human beings are assets and not liabilities. And the true wealth of a nation is really in its people.

Atty. Marwil Llasos, a staff apologist for Defensores Fidei Foundation

Illustration by Tina Alejandro

Tanong 5. Parang mali nga yata na ipilit yan sa pamilyang Pilipino, parang nababale-wala ang Constitution at ginagawa lang tayong gaya-gaya sa mga puti