New pastoral letter denounces government
Despite the historic December
enactment after 14 years of a comprehensive reproductive health bill by
Philippine lawmakers, the Catholic Church is not giving up by any means, and
the issue of whether the law actually gets implemented is open to a certain amount
of doubt.
On Jan. 28, the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines, the guiding body of the Philippine church,
issued a flame-throwing pastoral letter "on certain issues of the
day" dealing with "Our Problems as a Nation" and asking parishioners
to "Proclaim the Message, In Season and Out of Seasons."
After reciting the litany of
violent storms and other issues the country has faced in the past year, the
church condemned "the slavishness of our political and business leaders to
follow practices in Western countries that promote, in spite of examples that
we clearly see in the West,
·
divorce,
resulting in more break-up of families and the dysfunctional growth of
children,
·
contraceptives,
leading to more abortions,
·
the use of
condom, aggravating HIV-AIDS infection, and
·
school sex
education, bringing more promiscuity and teenage pregnancy."
"We denounce the passage of
the Reproductive Health Law, the political and financial pressures imposed on
lawmakers, and the imperialism exercised by secularistic international
organizations in the legislative process," the letter continued. "We
admire and commend the valiant efforts of lay people and lawgivers to prevent
the passage of the law. We support the efforts of our lay people in challenging
the RH Law in the Supreme Court and in other venues within the bounds of our
democratic system. We support and encourage the participation of the laity in
electing competent and morally upright candidates who are faithful to their
correct and informed conscience."
The bishops in other pastoral
letters have labeled the reproductive health measure "the culture of
death." It is questionable, however, how much sway pastoral letters have
today. They do act as a directive to local parishes on what issues they can say
during mass. Also, they guide parishes in civic activities in which pro-RH
politicians can be shut out, affecting their electoral campaigns.
Some 81 percent of all Filipinos
classify themselves as Catholics, although it is questionable whether the
church has as much influence as it did in the past, when opposition to a
political candidate meant almost certain loss in the polls. The Catholic
Church's activism played a major role in driving both Presidents Ferdinand
Marcos and Joseph Estrada from power.
However, as many as seven out of
10 Filipinos polled support the implementation of the measure, said Rom
Dongeto, the executive director of Philippine Legislators' Committee for
Population and Development (PLCPD), an NGO that is one of the strongest
proponents of the law. While local parishes are certain to try to block the
implementation on a local level, Dongeto said, he is confident that public
support will enable officials to put the program into place.
There are signs that the church
has lost a good deal of its influence because of scandals within the faith
itself as well as the continuing secularization of society and the rise of a
middle class that is no longer in thrall of strict religious practice. Half of
those who marry today do so in civil ceremonies, or don't wed at all, which
fits with statistics that show 20 percent of the country's births are out of
wedlock.
There are signs in the cities and
among the middle class that birth rates are falling on their own. Nonetheless,
population growth is very nearly out of control, although figures vary widely.
The CIA Factbook projected the population at 103.7 million people in July 2012
although the Philippines National Statistics Office projected that there would
be 97 million. Either set of figures would make the Philippines the world's
12th largest country.
Just how implacable the church's
opposition will be is exemplified by the fact that seven lawsuits have been
filed by the church's allies. Almost immediately after President Benigno S.
Aquino III's signature of the bill was announced belatedly on Dec. 31, Jo
Imbong, the Council of Bishops' attorney, representing her son, James Imbong
and his wife Lovely-Ann, filed a 27-page petition urging the Supreme Court to
invalidate the law. While the court agreed to take the case, however, it
refused to stop implementation, which was due to begin by the Department of
Health on Jan. 17.
One action filed on Jan. 24 by
Eduardo B. Olaguer and the Catholic Xybrspace Apostolate of the Philippines
cited the unconstitutionality of certain provisions including one saying it
violates a section of the Welfare Code that states that "the civil
personality of the child shall commence from the time of his conception, for
all purposes favorable to him, subject to the requirements of Article 41 of the
Civil Code."
With or without the opposition of
the church, the government faces a massive job in putting the measure into
place. The measure guarantees universal access to birth control devices as well
as sexual education in the schools and dissemination of information on
fertility, maternal care and family planning devices such as condoms, birth
control pills and IUDs throughout the country's health centers.
Filipino government is chaotic at
best. The country is spread across 7,000 islands totaling 300,000 square
kilometers. The church holds definitive sway in the thousands of villages that
make up the countryside. Local officials answer to the church, and there is
hardly a parish in the country whose priests didn't denounce the law as it made
its way through the legislature.
"We are working with the
Department of Health in developing comprehensive rules and regulations for
implementation," Dongeto said. "Pro-life groups will not stop or
delay the spirit or implementation. They will use the pulpit, the media, the
legal apparatus, but I think the government will have to stand to its
commitment. It is the right of individuals and couples to plan families, their
right to demand information. The moral grounds are strong. In terms of the
positioning of the government, they are ready."
Business & Investment Opportunities
Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd (SBC) is incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Health care and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN 's area. We are currently changing the platform of www.yourvietnamexpert.com, if any request, please, contact directly Dr Christian SIODMAK, business strategist, owner and CEO of SBC at christian.siodmak@gmail.com. Many thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment