Palace to Bishops: Let's have healthy RH Bill debate

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday encouraged the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to a healthy debate over the reproductive health bill in Congress, but only within the bounds of law – without resorting to anything unlawful, like civil disobedience.

“This is a debate on an issue of national importance. We have different views but discussions should be within the means of the law,” Secretary Ricky Carandang stressed.

“That is what the President said. There is room for debate, but it doesn’t have to degenerate to illegal acts or anything like that,” he said, referring to the civil disobedience threat of those opposed to the RH bill in the House of Representatives.

Some Catholic prelates have indicated they would rather go to jail on charges of sedition – a warning that no less than President Aquino himself issued to anti-RH bill advocates - than give up their campaign to promote life.

“He can put us all in jail. We are willing to pay the price to save the unborn from modern Herods and save the executioners from the grasp of the evil one,” Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles told CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the CBCP.

No urgency

Aquino also hinted he is not keen on certifying the RH bill as urgent, primarily because there is no urgency, unlike in the postponement of the elections in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where polls will be held on Aug. 8.

The statement was in reaction to the call of former President Fidel Ramos, a pro-RH advocate, who wanted Aquino to prioritize the measure in Congress so that it would be enacted into law at the soonest possible time.

“I think the RH bill would be included in the next list of priorities. The first list that we submitted to Congress was 23 or 24 measures already,” he said, referring to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

“Priority is the term that we are using to signify how important it is, but urgent is reserved for national calamities, since the Constitution is very specific,” the President said.

Pro-RH

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, meantime, reiterated his support yesterday for the approval of the RH bill at the Senate despite the massive lobby of the Catholic Church against it.

“I think the strongest resistance comes mainly from the Catholic Church. But if you will look at the surveys of the SWS and other polling firms, I think in 2008 or 2007, 70-71 percent of the population supports the RH bill,” Lacson said over radio dzBB.

Lacson also criticized the Catholic Church for its decision to forgo the dialogue with Malacañang regarding the issue.

“This is a wrong step. The matter should be discussed thoroughly. For all we know, once matters are cleared up, President Aquino might change his view and support towards the measure,” the senator said.

Lacson, who has filed a similar RH measure at the Senate, said abortion remains a criminal offense under the proposal, and that it will not be promoted by government.

The Senate’s version is a multi-dimensional approach where components of family planning and responsible parenthood are integrated, Lacson said.

Clara Rita Padilla, executive director of EnGendeRights, also called on lawmakers to immediately pass the RH bill to help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, maternal deaths and deaths related to unsafe abortion.

“Surveys have come out showing that Filipinos clamor for the passage of the RH bill into law,” Padilla, a human rights lawyer, said.

“Filipino women are the ones most affected by the delayed passage of a comprehensive RH law,” Padilla said.

Power of the prayer

But officials of the CBCP remained true to their stand and urged yesterday the faithful to use the power of prayer to block the passage of the birth-control measure.

CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Bioethics chairman Bishop Jose Oliveros and CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Family and Life vice chairman Ramon Arguelles called for prayers to help pro-life lawmakers.

The RH bill or House Bill 4244 would likely be taken up in plenary tomorrow.

“Let us continue to pray the rosary for life and for our beloved Philippines,” Arguelles said in a text message to reporters.

“Our pro-life legislators ask for prayers as they plan on May 16 their moves in this month-long session of Congress. Let us pray for them,” Oliveros said.

Constitutional questions

House Assistant Majority Leader and Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles also raised yesterday what he said were constitutional questions against the controversial Reproductive Health bill.

Apart from the fact that it is “an unnecessary piece of legislation,” Nograles said the RH bill is against the basic mandate of the Constitution, which guarantees the sanctity of life and human dignity.

“The Constitution itself mandates the safeguard of life and human dignity. So, why risk life? Why prevent life?” Nograles asked supporters of the RH bill.

“It should be political, social and economic development for the sake of humanity, and not the other way around where human life is put at risk in the interest of supposed development,” he said.

Nograles acknowledged the war against poverty is a complex global problem but stressed that population control is not the best route to ending poverty.