Hi, guys.
I’d like to give you a glimpse of the pitched verbal battles that went on for years before the passage of the Reproductive Health Law.
My husband Alan was very much a part of those battles.
In his post for ABS-CBN News today, he writes about the agony, the ecstasy and the comedy of it all.
Pls click on the link below to read it –
Meanwhile, I’m just trying to recover from a nasty cold.
But you’ll hear from me soon.
Mel says
Mel says
Mel says
Above source: RH Bill finally signed into law By Karen Boncocan INQUIRER.net
Mel says
BUT –
:?:
Mel says
Above source:
PNoy yet to sign RH law, Palace says by RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News, Posted at 12/28/2012 8:46 PM | Updated as of 12/28/2012 9:09 PM
Mel says
duquemarino says
Just like any other law, the success will be on the effective and efficient implementation.
Ancient Mariner says
Raissa, Alan and the CPMers may I wish you a merry, merry Christmas and a New Year filled with Raissa generated intrigue.
baycas says
2012: THE YEAR THAT WAS
On the first month of ’12 the DOH consi__dered,
The New Yea__r is the deadliest
On the second month of ’12 a 6.9 jolted Negros and Cebu,
At least 52__ were killed
On the third month of ’12 an earthquake hit Surigao,
65 or so were injured
On the fourth month of ’12 Navy at the Shoal almost had a skirmish,
China ties further severed
On the fifth month of ’12 Impeachment was concluded,
Corona guil__ty
On the sixth month of ’12 Manny had another fight,
Pacquiao lost to Bradley
On the seventh month of ’12 the RP Team went to ‘Lympics,
Went home with NO medals
On the eighth month of ’12 typhoons, flash floods, and plane crash hap__pened;
More deaths and injuries
On the ninth month of ’12 Cybercrime Prevention Act was signed,
Cyber Libel included
On the tenth month of ’12 Bangsamoro Agreement already framed,
Good news too in 2012__
On the eleventh month of ’12 Tagle became a cardinal,
One Hallelujah!
On the twelfth month of ’12 Pablo struck dead a-plen__ty,
More deaths and misery__
baycas says
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_in_the_Philippines
http://earthquake-report.com/2012/03/16/strong-earthquake-shakes-surigao-philippines/
baycas says
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/60455/philippines-among-asian-nations-worst-hit-by-disasters-in-2012
baycas says
CDQ’s take…
http://opinion.inquirer.net/43863/the-year-that-was
fed_up says
@chiwee. Your post at 12 which says“…napunta na lang ba sa kangkungan ang mga programang makabuluhan (POPCOM) nung panahon ng diktaturya kasi, identified na Marcos era siya?” has put me to work.
This is my findings: I found this piece of writing, posted March 2003, with the title “Arroyo Used Pills, but is against Birth Control” written by Marites N. Sison. You can read Marites’ article in full here:
http://pcij.org/stories/2003/population.html
Since the article is quite long, I’ll try to make it brief by lifting pertinent paragraphs only to show how five Presidential terms (Marcos, Cory Aquino, Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo) dealt with POPCOM (Population Commission) program before it got fed up and dived into the “kangkungan.”
Marcos’ creation of POPCOM. Marcos created POPCOM in 1969 “to regulate population growth and reduce fertility rate with the goal of achieving economic development.” He put NEDA Chief Gerardo Sicat as Chairman but was eventually replaced by Placido Mapa “who was a member of the ultraconservative Catholic group Opus Dei.” During his brief Chairmanship, Mapa could not come to terms with his conscience “to advocate a government policy that would include the distribution of supplies for birth control.”
Cory Aquino’s term: Aquino’s choice of Dr. Mita Pardo de Tavera, a devout Catholic, as the Sec. of DSWD and head of POPCOM, reflected her stance on family planning. U.P. School of Economics Prof. Alex Herrin has said that “While there was a strong fertility reduction objective during the Marcos era, there was none during the Aquino administration.
Ramos’ term: Ramos, a Protestant, entrusted the management of family planning policies to the Dept. of Health headed by Dr. Juan Flavier. In addition to setting aside money for buying birth control pills and other contraceptives, he even launched an anti-AIDS campaign that strongly featured the use of condoms. This provoked the Church leaders to rise in arms against Flavier.
Joseph Estrada’s term: Following Ramos for not wanting to upset the Church, Estrada adopted the same “hands off” policy by relying on “his Cabinet to shield him from controversy. But his stance didn’t prevent him from almost becoming the “first president to allocate a big amount for contraceptives” had it not been for his impeachment.
GMA’s term: Afraid of incurring the Church’s ire, GMA did not use the P100-million congressional insertion for the purchase of contraceptives as proposed by Flavier before Estrada’s impeachment. Instead, she pursued family planning policies with the cosmetic names “Responsible Parenthood” and Informed Choices.
Pnoy Aguino’s term: No need to prep you on this, except to say, the Church is not easy to give up. There is still the SC hurdle.
So how does one describe the fate of POPCOM before it dived to the “kangkungan”?
Let’s hear what Prof. Alex Herrin has to say: the “persistent and consistent opposition of the Catholic Church hierarchy to the government population policy of reducing population growth as well as the promotion of artificial family planning methods” is the “single most important factor influencing population policy-making” in the last three decades.”
The fate of the POPCOM program, like any well-meaning government program designed to alleviate the suffering of the mass of Filipino poor, is a classic example why our “rocket of state” can never take off from the lift pad because it either lacks adequate booster fuel to escape the “gravity” of backwardness of Filipino society or is overflowing with decadent mentality payload.