To: Congress of the Philippines
We strongly oppose the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill (HB5043) for the following reasons:
1. AS EMPLOYERS, we do not want to be compelled to provide free reproductive health care services, supplies, devices and surgical procedures (including vasectomy and ligation) to our employees, and be subjected to both imprisonment and/or a fine, for every time that we fail to comply. (Section 17 states that employers shall provide for free delivery of reproductive health care services, supplies and devices to all workers more particularly women workers. (Definition of Reproductive Health and Rights Section 4, paragraph g, Section 21, Paragraph c and Section 22 on Penalties)
2. AS HEALTH CARE SERVICE PROVIDERS, we do not want to be subjected to imprisonment and/or a fine, if we fail to provide reproductive health care services such as giving information on family planning methods and providing services like ligation and vasectomy, regardless of the patient's civil status, gender, religion or age ( Section 21 on Prohibited Acts, Letter a, Paragraphs 1 to 5 and Section 22 on Penalties)
3. AS SPOUSES, we do not agree that our husband or wife can undergo a ligation or vasectomy without our consent or knowledge. (Section 21 on Prohibited Acts, Letter a, Paragraph 2)
4. AS PARENTS, we do not agree that children from age 10 to 17 should be taught their sexual rights and the means to have a satisfying and "safe" sex life as part of their school curriculum. (Section 12 on Reproductive Health Education and Section 4 Definition of Family Planning and Productive Health, Paragraph b, c and d)
5. AS CITIZENS, we do not want to be subjected to imprisonment and/or pay a fine, for expressing an opinion against any provision of this law, if such expression of opinion is interpreted as constituting "malicious disinformation" ( Section 21 on Prohibited Acts, Paragraph f and Section 22 on Penalties)
6. We also oppose other provisions such as losing our parental authority over a minor child who was raped and found pregnant (Section 21, a, no.3)
7. We also do not agree to the provision which reclassifies contraceptives as essential medicines (Section 10) and appropriating limited government funds to reproductive services instead of basic services (Section 23)
Thus, we urge you to immediately stop deliberations on the bill and stop wasting taxpayers money.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Happy Birthday, Mama Mary
Today, we celebrate the birth of the Holy Mother of God, Mary Immaculate.
From the earliest of time, we read from Genesis 3:15, God as he cursed the snake, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." And all of Israel from then on waited for the birth of this man who will destroy the serpent – and of course, waiting for the woman to give birth to this promised savior.
At the appointed time, the woman who was to be the Mother of the Savior was born to her parents, Joachim and Anne. She was named Mary. Also in the appointed time, the woman was visited by an angel, whose announcement she lovingly accepted. And also in the appointed time, the woman, gave birth to a son, who was named Jesus. The rest, as they say is history – salvation history.
The birth of Mary brings us to reflect on our own birth and the life.
I would like to believe, as the Good Book attests to, that each of us is born for a specific purpose. In fact, the Good Book attests too, that God has called us even before we are born – we are dedicated to a unique and special role. Not that we are predetermined fatally, but that our birth is with purpose and it is our choice to fulfill that or otherwise.
It is pretty difficult to recognize and take hold of this purpose that God has for us, in the most concrete. This is evidenced by the difficulty many encounter in choosing a career, a profession, a state in life.
A little help from our enlightened peers might help. Frederick Buechner, an ordained Presbyterian minister once said, the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.
Our quest for our purpose, or calling, if you want has two dimensions then – where we find our deepest gladness and the world’s deep hunger.
Our purpose in life which maybe manifested in a career, profession or state in life is first of all where we find our deepest gladness. The advice of many parents is proper – kung saan ka masaya, suportahan ta ka. Jesus said in the Gospel, where your heart is, there your treasure will be. In an increasingly financially difficult world, in an increasingly commercialized and secularized world, in a world where more and more the norm is material progress, this comes as a great challenge – does our choice of profession bring us deep personal joy, fulfillment and peace? Joy is not simply cheer. Fulfillment is not simply accomplishment. Peace is not simply security. Financial progress, career heights, a fat bank account, and accumulated wealth do not always bring deep, true, lingering gladness. The first measure then of our purpose in life is deep personal joy, fulfillment and peace.
Second, our purpose in life which maybe manifested in a career, profession or state in life is to be based, on the world’s deep hunger. Our purpose in life is not only for our selves, but also in response to the world’s deep hunger. Cliché as it may be, still it is true, no person is an island, no person stands alone, each person’s joy is my joy, each person’s grief is my own. Our pursuit for purpose, and for deep gladness should also take into consideration the world’s deepest need. The problem arises when in pursuit of personal happiness, a person closes his or her eyes to the suffering of other people. Worse, when in pursuit of personal happiness, a person causes the suffering of other people, even myriads of peoples. We are reminded, that our purpose in life is tied not only in our personal happiness, but in our contribution also to alleviating the poverty of the world, of quenching the deepest thirst of peoples, of filling the hungers of peoples.
The place God calls us to is the place where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.
May our commemoration of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary bless us.
From the earliest of time, we read from Genesis 3:15, God as he cursed the snake, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." And all of Israel from then on waited for the birth of this man who will destroy the serpent – and of course, waiting for the woman to give birth to this promised savior.
At the appointed time, the woman who was to be the Mother of the Savior was born to her parents, Joachim and Anne. She was named Mary. Also in the appointed time, the woman was visited by an angel, whose announcement she lovingly accepted. And also in the appointed time, the woman, gave birth to a son, who was named Jesus. The rest, as they say is history – salvation history.
The birth of Mary brings us to reflect on our own birth and the life.
I would like to believe, as the Good Book attests to, that each of us is born for a specific purpose. In fact, the Good Book attests too, that God has called us even before we are born – we are dedicated to a unique and special role. Not that we are predetermined fatally, but that our birth is with purpose and it is our choice to fulfill that or otherwise.
It is pretty difficult to recognize and take hold of this purpose that God has for us, in the most concrete. This is evidenced by the difficulty many encounter in choosing a career, a profession, a state in life.
A little help from our enlightened peers might help. Frederick Buechner, an ordained Presbyterian minister once said, the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.
Our quest for our purpose, or calling, if you want has two dimensions then – where we find our deepest gladness and the world’s deep hunger.
Our purpose in life which maybe manifested in a career, profession or state in life is first of all where we find our deepest gladness. The advice of many parents is proper – kung saan ka masaya, suportahan ta ka. Jesus said in the Gospel, where your heart is, there your treasure will be. In an increasingly financially difficult world, in an increasingly commercialized and secularized world, in a world where more and more the norm is material progress, this comes as a great challenge – does our choice of profession bring us deep personal joy, fulfillment and peace? Joy is not simply cheer. Fulfillment is not simply accomplishment. Peace is not simply security. Financial progress, career heights, a fat bank account, and accumulated wealth do not always bring deep, true, lingering gladness. The first measure then of our purpose in life is deep personal joy, fulfillment and peace.
Second, our purpose in life which maybe manifested in a career, profession or state in life is to be based, on the world’s deep hunger. Our purpose in life is not only for our selves, but also in response to the world’s deep hunger. Cliché as it may be, still it is true, no person is an island, no person stands alone, each person’s joy is my joy, each person’s grief is my own. Our pursuit for purpose, and for deep gladness should also take into consideration the world’s deepest need. The problem arises when in pursuit of personal happiness, a person closes his or her eyes to the suffering of other people. Worse, when in pursuit of personal happiness, a person causes the suffering of other people, even myriads of peoples. We are reminded, that our purpose in life is tied not only in our personal happiness, but in our contribution also to alleviating the poverty of the world, of quenching the deepest thirst of peoples, of filling the hungers of peoples.
The place God calls us to is the place where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.
May our commemoration of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary bless us.
Friday, August 29, 2008
... for good men to do something
From Gov. Ed Panlilio’s Speech at the Escaler Hall, Loyola Schools, November 22, 2007:
I don’t think that God meant me to endure five seminaries just to become a Governor or some other public official. I love my vocation, and at the end of this temporary detour into politics, I shall desire nothing more than to have my priestly faculties once again, and be a shepherd of the faith anew. A personal glory shall be that day when I shall hold aloft the transubstantiated body and blood of Christ, recalling my first mass after my ordination. It is from this vantage point that I say that I really do not encourage the entry of priests or ministers to the electoral arena. It would be utter presumption and even a complete falsehood to maintain that only the clergy posses the moral superiority to lead the nation. A layman with the proper motivation and popular support can lead any province to glory, in the same manner that an elected priest with less than honorable intentions can bring the province to its knees. Every believer has a divine mandate to do good and cast out evil. For the sake of the beggar out in the street, for the sake of the baby who is fed with rice water, for the sake of the sick patients in our public hospitals, for the sake of every Filipino who persists in the hope of a brighter horizon, I ask you to help us prove that we are essentially good, and that we uphold the common good.
For goodness and uprightness in government
I received the following statement through e-mail. I believe in good governance. I believe in principled politics. I believe in putting God and goodness in government. I believe in Gov. Ed Panlilio's sincerity. And so I pass on this statement:
Kaya Natin! Statement on the Recall Movement of Gov. Eddie Panlilio (Pampanga)
We, the founding members of Kaya Natin! A Movement for Genuine Change and Ethical Leadership strongly oppose the move to recall Governor Eddie Panlilio of Pampanga. We believe that this attempt to recall him is politically motivated and would only serve to benefit the vested interests of a few politicians in Pampanga.
While we are aware that there are escalating problems in Pampanga such as the continuing conflict between Gov. Panlilio and the Provincial Board, the unresolved issue on the striking BALAS Quarry Workers and the calls for the resignation of the current Provincial Administrator, among others, we believe that a genuine effort to resolve them will be more beneficial to the
Kapampangans than a political exercise the will further polarize and divide the community. We also recognize that there are members of the civil society, church groups, business organizations and supporters of Gov. Panlilio that have expressed disappointment with his performance during the past year. Thus, while we continue to support Gov. Panlilio's crusade to promote good governance in his province, we also believe that he should listen to the voices of these groups and work at immediately addressing and resolving these growing concerns in order for him to become a more effective governor.
As current local government leaders, we believe that all these issues arise as a result of the changes and reforms being implemented in the province. Reforms do not come easy. It requires continuing engagements between the provincial leadership and the other stakeholders in the locality. We do believe that given time, Governor Panlilio's initiatives will ultimately result to better delivery of basic services to his constituents.
In light of all these, we urge the people of Pampanga not to support the recall initiative. We ask the Kapampangans to give Governor Panlilio a chance to fully serve his term and continue the reforms that he has began. Moreover, we ask all Kapampangans to be patient with Governor Panlilio because we believe that despite the current situation, he is at the moment still the best person who can govern the province in an effective and ethical manner. Should there be a need, the members of Kaya Natin are willing to help organize and/or facilitate a dialogue between Governor Panlilio and disgruntled members of the civil society, business groups, people's organizations and his former supporters in Pampanga.
Finally, we sincerely hope that this movement to recall Gov. Panlilio will be put to rest at the soonest possible time so that we can unite towards working for a better Pampanga and ultimately, a better Philippines.
Signed:
(Sgd.) HON. GRACE PADACA
Governor
Isabela
(Sgd.) HON. JESSE ROBREDO
Mayor
Naga City
(Sgd.) HON. TEDDY BAGUILAT, JR.
Governor
Ifugao
(Sgd.) HON. SONIA LORENZO
Mayor
San Isidro, Nueva Ecija
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