After Catholic bishops threatened to lead a civil disobedience campaign if the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill is passed into law, Malacañang urged Catholic leaders to calm down and wait for the dialogue on the issue.
Catholic church leaders intensified their campaign against the RH bill after President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III reiterated that he is for responsible parenthood and informed choice in family planning.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte urged the bishops to wait for the dialogue between the government and the Church on the issue.
"We appeal to them of course for sobriety, let's all calm down and let's wait for the dialogue before anything of this sort comes into play," Valte said in a press briefing in Malacañang on the issue.
The Palace said they intend to hold a dialogue with the Church after the bishops finish consulting with lay leaders on the issue.
The consultation with lay leaders was announced earlier by Fr. Melvin Castro of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Family and Life.
Valte said Aquino also has yet to convey to his congressional allies his thoughts on the RH bill, a measure that espouses both natural and artificial birth control methods.
The RH bill was filed in previous congresses but was not passed because of strong opposition from the Church and its congressional allies. It was refiled in the 15th Congress as House Bill (HB) 96.
'Stay within the bounds of law'
Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr., head of the CBCP public affairs unit, said earlier in the day that "population control is something the government and Church must work together on but the Church considers as non-negotiable its opposition to artificial contraception."
Valte said the Palace will respect the CBCP's expression of opposition "as long as the CBCP stays within the bounds of law."
She assured Catholic leaders that Aquino would listen to them during their dialogue. However, Valte could not state whether the president could change his position on the controversial issue after talking with the bishops.
"They will discuss the stand of the Catholic Church, he will most likely also reiterate his policy on this, and we'll see from there what happens," she said.
"He's always open to different opinions," she added. "Whether that opinion may materially affect his present policy, we do not know yet."
Aquino's stand on reproductive health recently drew criticism from the Catholic Church once more after saying the government has to inform the public of their reproductive health and family planning choices.
"I think the government is obligated to to inform everybody of their responsibility and their choices, at the end of the day government might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method," Aquino said in a meeting with a Filipino community in San Francisco recently.
No preferences
Valte said there has been no directive yet on whether the government will distribute contraceptives after Aquino made the statement.
While the president does not shun the use of artificial contraceptives as a family planning method, he does not promote any particular method either, Valte explained.
"Once couples make an informed choice as to their preferences in accordanc with their beliefs and should they wish to take one way or the other, the government might povide assistance," Valte said.
"We have to understand that artificial contraceptives is not the only method for family plannign so should they wish to avail of other methods, then the government might assist them also," she said. "It's not a promotion of either but it's more of making sure that the public gets the correct information as to every method there is."
The Catholic Church promotes only natural family planning and is opposed to the use of artificial birth control methods such as condoms and birth-control pills, saying these could lead to promiscuity and a rise in abortion cases.
It is estimated that 80 percent of the country's population are baptized Catholics. According to the National Statistics Office, there were 88.57 million Filipinos as of August 2007. The projected population for 2010 is 94.01 million.
However, not all Catholics are against the RH bill. In an earlier report, Ben De Leon, president of the Philippine Center for Population and Development, said some members of the CBCP have expressed their support in the RH Bill but not publicly.
"There are young bishops and priests who would support our advocacy but they cannot state it publicly," he said. "They encourage us to push the RH Bill because they know that the bill is very useful especially to the poorest of the poor."
For maternal and infant health
The main proponent of HB 96 is Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, a staunch critic of Aquino.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Lagman said the RH bill will promote maternal and infant health because it espouses proper reproductive health education.
It will also help lower abortion cases by preventing unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, he said.
In the Philippines, 11 mothers die daily, Lagman said. The lifetime risk of maternal death in the country is 1 in 140, compared to 1 in 8,000 for women in developed countries, he added.
The lawmaker said studies by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, and the UN Population fund "confirm that correct and consistent use of contraceptives will prevent one-third of all maternal deaths."
“The Church can continue on its mission to save souls but the State must pursue unhampered a program which reduces maternal and infant mortality in the secular realm," Lagman said. –VVP
