By Ephraim Aguilar, page A7
Inquirer Southern Luzon
DARAGA, ALBAY--Rafael Triunfante, a married former priest, has come out in favor of the controversial reproductive health bill and criticized the Catholic Church for trying to stop its passage in Congress.
The Rome-educated Triunfante said the Church’s hard-line stance against modern birth control methods and sex education, which the bill would promote, showed a lack of compassion for the problems of married couples and the poor.
The bill, authored by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, is being debated in the House of Representatives. Influential Catholic bishops are lobbying for its rejection, saying it goes against Church doctrine.
Triunfante was ordained a priest in 1968 but he left the ministry after 11 years. Now 63, he has been married 28 years and has two children.
Both methods
One of the pioneers of the Philippine Federation of Married Priests Inc. (PFMP), Triunfante admitted having used both natural and artificial means of birth control.
He said most people wanted to plan their families but they did not have the resources—information, services and money. This is what the bill seeks to address.
He also lamented the lack of reproductive health services for the people.
With its rigid stance against the bill, the Church may have lost a “ministry of compassion,” he said.
After he left the priesthood, Triunfante said he felt he had climbed down from a pedestal and was better able to feel the pulse of the people.
“When you’re a priest, people put you on a pedestal. People always want to serve you rather than you serve them. I knew something was wrong with this,” he said.
Dialogue
Triunfante said other PFMP members were hoping the Church would at least be open to a dialogue with them on the reproductive health bill.
“But the Church would not even want to listen,” he said, adding that this was also how the Church treated many priests who still wanted to serve God, even though married.
“We were isolated. The Church was not open,” he said.
He said the PFMP, which promotes the dignity of marriage and family life, was founded in 1972 and now has a membership of over 500 couples nationwide.
Triunfante said that his open stand on the reproductive health bill was not influenced solely by his married life.
He said he believed in the “theology of liberation,” which teaches that knowing the issues of the people and living with them makes ministry more effective.
Triunfante said he felt frustrated and isolated from the people.
“I felt like my life was not normal anymore, especially my sex life. There were realities that could not be ignored,” he said.
Granted a scholarship, he studied Philosophy and Theology in Rome, where he was exposed to the Vatican Council’s discourse on the celibacy of priests.
“This imbibed in me the spirit of reformation,” he said.
Showing posts with label reproductive health bill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reproductive health bill. Show all posts
Monday, October 13, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Married priests support RH bill
By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 17:46:00 10/11/2008
INQUIRER.net
DARAGA, Albay -- Will the stand of the Catholic Church on the controversial reproductive health bill differ if priests, who are bound to a vow of celibacy, were allowed to marry and not denied of a sex life?
Rafael Triunfante was ordained priest in 1968 and had been active in the ministry for 11 years, but at 63, he has been happily married for 28 years with two children.
Triunfante admitted having used both natural and artificial means of family planning, the latter being the subject of discourse as the bill authored by Albay Representative Edcel Lagman still pending approval in the House of Representatives.
Also known as House Bill 5043, the measure requires government hospitals to include contraceptives in their supply purchases and would require mandatory reproductive health education in schools, which are both opposed by the Catholic Church.
The Church hierarchy has been dodging the passage of the bill, even by the use of the pulpit, saying the bill “promotes a culture of death and immorality.”
Triunfante said most people want to plan their families but they do not have the resources -- information, services and money -- which the bill seeks to address.
He said the lack of information available on family planning restricts people's choices.
He also lamented the lack of reproductive health services for the people which should ideally be made available both by the Church and state.
With its rigid stance against the bill, Triunfante said, the Church may lose its “ministry of compassion.”
Triunfante, who has been ostracized by the Church after he quit the ministry, was wary of being vocal about his stand on the reproductive health bill because, he said, it would be easy for people to judge him as a “sour grape.”
But, he said, after he decided to leave his “pedestal” to be more immersed in the community, he learned to heed the people's needs and to take side with their voice.
“When you're a priest, people put you in a pedestal. People would always want to serve you rather than you to serve them. I knew something was wrong with this,” he said.
Triunfante, one of the pioneering members of the Philippine Federation of Married Priests Inc. (PFMP), said even the group was hoping that the Church would at least be open to a dialogue.
“But the Church would not even want to listen,” he said, adding that this was also how the Church treated many priests who still wanted to serve God even after they married.
“We were isolated. The Church was not open,” he lamented.
The PFMP, which promotes dignity of marriage and family life as one of its objectives, was founded in 1972 and has now a membership of over 500 couples nationwide.
But Triunfante clarified that his open stand on the reproductive health bill was not solely influenced by his married life.
He said he had always believed in the “theory of liberation,” which teaches that knowing the issues of the people and living with them makes ministry more effective.
In 1980s, Triunfante reviewed his life with the help of a Jesuit spiritual adviser.
“I felt like my life was not normal anymore, especially my sex life. There were realities that could not be ignored,” said Triunfante, who recounted having lived a very secluded life in the seminary as young as 11 years old.
He studied Philosophy and Theology in Rome, Italy through a scholarship, where he was exposed to the Vatican Council's discourse on celibacy as an option for priests.
“This imbibed in me the spirit of reformation,” he said.
After having been an active priest for 11 years, Triunfante took a leave of absence from the ministry for one year and lived in an urban poor community to see how it felt to be near the people before he decided to get married in 1980.
“I was no longer happy because of my frustrations. I felt I was isolated and far from the people,” he said.
“Now, the Church and the state can sit down for a while and discuss things that can be agreed upon, especially on providing a better life for the people,” he added.
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 17:46:00 10/11/2008
INQUIRER.net
DARAGA, Albay -- Will the stand of the Catholic Church on the controversial reproductive health bill differ if priests, who are bound to a vow of celibacy, were allowed to marry and not denied of a sex life?
Rafael Triunfante was ordained priest in 1968 and had been active in the ministry for 11 years, but at 63, he has been happily married for 28 years with two children.
Triunfante admitted having used both natural and artificial means of family planning, the latter being the subject of discourse as the bill authored by Albay Representative Edcel Lagman still pending approval in the House of Representatives.
Also known as House Bill 5043, the measure requires government hospitals to include contraceptives in their supply purchases and would require mandatory reproductive health education in schools, which are both opposed by the Catholic Church.
The Church hierarchy has been dodging the passage of the bill, even by the use of the pulpit, saying the bill “promotes a culture of death and immorality.”
Triunfante said most people want to plan their families but they do not have the resources -- information, services and money -- which the bill seeks to address.
He said the lack of information available on family planning restricts people's choices.
He also lamented the lack of reproductive health services for the people which should ideally be made available both by the Church and state.
With its rigid stance against the bill, Triunfante said, the Church may lose its “ministry of compassion.”
Triunfante, who has been ostracized by the Church after he quit the ministry, was wary of being vocal about his stand on the reproductive health bill because, he said, it would be easy for people to judge him as a “sour grape.”
But, he said, after he decided to leave his “pedestal” to be more immersed in the community, he learned to heed the people's needs and to take side with their voice.
“When you're a priest, people put you in a pedestal. People would always want to serve you rather than you to serve them. I knew something was wrong with this,” he said.
Triunfante, one of the pioneering members of the Philippine Federation of Married Priests Inc. (PFMP), said even the group was hoping that the Church would at least be open to a dialogue.
“But the Church would not even want to listen,” he said, adding that this was also how the Church treated many priests who still wanted to serve God even after they married.
“We were isolated. The Church was not open,” he lamented.
The PFMP, which promotes dignity of marriage and family life as one of its objectives, was founded in 1972 and has now a membership of over 500 couples nationwide.
But Triunfante clarified that his open stand on the reproductive health bill was not solely influenced by his married life.
He said he had always believed in the “theory of liberation,” which teaches that knowing the issues of the people and living with them makes ministry more effective.
In 1980s, Triunfante reviewed his life with the help of a Jesuit spiritual adviser.
“I felt like my life was not normal anymore, especially my sex life. There were realities that could not be ignored,” said Triunfante, who recounted having lived a very secluded life in the seminary as young as 11 years old.
He studied Philosophy and Theology in Rome, Italy through a scholarship, where he was exposed to the Vatican Council's discourse on celibacy as an option for priests.
“This imbibed in me the spirit of reformation,” he said.
After having been an active priest for 11 years, Triunfante took a leave of absence from the ministry for one year and lived in an urban poor community to see how it felt to be near the people before he decided to get married in 1980.
“I was no longer happy because of my frustrations. I felt I was isolated and far from the people,” he said.
“Now, the Church and the state can sit down for a while and discuss things that can be agreed upon, especially on providing a better life for the people,” he added.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
RH bill debates should involve sex workers, STD victims, says NGO
A14
LEGAZPI CITY—HUNDREDS of nameless people vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases should also be heard in the heating up debates on the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill, an official of a nongovernment organization said.
Cristita Triunfante, executive director of the Mayon International Development Alternatives and Services Inc. (Midas), said she lamented the seemingly “myopic” view that some people had on the controversial bill.
Current debates are only centered on whether population control will alleviate poverty or whether the legislation is moral or immoral, she said.
“But these are not only the important aspects. Critics of the bill need to have a holistic view by looking into all other elements of reproductive health,” she said.
Midas is a nongovernment organization partnering with the Global Fund AIDS project in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STDs through education and policy advocacies.
It reaches out to three groups most vulnerable to sexually transmitted infection (STI)—people in prostitution, male having sex with male persons, and migrant workers—by educating them on HIV/AIDS and other STDs and giving them contraceptives.
From January to September, Midas has reached out to 2,223 people in four areas in Bicol with high incidence of STI—the cities of Tabaco and Legazpi in Albay, and Sorsogon City and Matnog town in Sorsogon.
Triunfante, who also chairs the Bicol Integrated Reproductive Health Alliance, noted an increasing trend in the number of people vulnerable to STI.
“Victims are becoming younger. More youths are now engaging in prostitution than before, even males as young as 12, due to poverty,” she said.
But she added that government programs and policies were not leveling up to address the problem.
Nongovernment support is also limited, she said.
Midas has been working with local governments to come up with ordinances creating an AIDS council in the localities that will monitor the spread of the disease and will educate people on prevention.
“Once the RH bill is passed and signed into law, there will be more comprehensive reproductive health services for the people, which includes the proper management of STI cases and prevention,” Triunfante said.
She said that in her experiences at work, not all health offices in towns and cities had personnel trained in handling STI cases.
There is also a lack of social hygiene clinics equipped with enough facilities, she added.
The legislation, also known as House Bill No. 5043, requires government hospitals to include contraceptives in their supply purchases and would require mandatory reproductive health education in schools, which is both opposed by the Catholic Church.
It would also require local governments to employ enough midwives or attendants for a ratio of one for every 150 deliveries per year; to have an emergency obstetric care and maternal death review; and to provide mobile health care services. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
LEGAZPI CITY—HUNDREDS of nameless people vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases should also be heard in the heating up debates on the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill, an official of a nongovernment organization said.
Cristita Triunfante, executive director of the Mayon International Development Alternatives and Services Inc. (Midas), said she lamented the seemingly “myopic” view that some people had on the controversial bill.
Current debates are only centered on whether population control will alleviate poverty or whether the legislation is moral or immoral, she said.
“But these are not only the important aspects. Critics of the bill need to have a holistic view by looking into all other elements of reproductive health,” she said.
Midas is a nongovernment organization partnering with the Global Fund AIDS project in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STDs through education and policy advocacies.
It reaches out to three groups most vulnerable to sexually transmitted infection (STI)—people in prostitution, male having sex with male persons, and migrant workers—by educating them on HIV/AIDS and other STDs and giving them contraceptives.
From January to September, Midas has reached out to 2,223 people in four areas in Bicol with high incidence of STI—the cities of Tabaco and Legazpi in Albay, and Sorsogon City and Matnog town in Sorsogon.
Triunfante, who also chairs the Bicol Integrated Reproductive Health Alliance, noted an increasing trend in the number of people vulnerable to STI.
“Victims are becoming younger. More youths are now engaging in prostitution than before, even males as young as 12, due to poverty,” she said.
But she added that government programs and policies were not leveling up to address the problem.
Nongovernment support is also limited, she said.
Midas has been working with local governments to come up with ordinances creating an AIDS council in the localities that will monitor the spread of the disease and will educate people on prevention.
“Once the RH bill is passed and signed into law, there will be more comprehensive reproductive health services for the people, which includes the proper management of STI cases and prevention,” Triunfante said.
She said that in her experiences at work, not all health offices in towns and cities had personnel trained in handling STI cases.
There is also a lack of social hygiene clinics equipped with enough facilities, she added.
The legislation, also known as House Bill No. 5043, requires government hospitals to include contraceptives in their supply purchases and would require mandatory reproductive health education in schools, which is both opposed by the Catholic Church.
It would also require local governments to employ enough midwives or attendants for a ratio of one for every 150 deliveries per year; to have an emergency obstetric care and maternal death review; and to provide mobile health care services. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Edcel: Bill backers, not Church, have numbers
REP. EDCEL LAGMAN YESTERDAY SAID the supporters of the reproductive health bill had the numbers to pass the proposed population-control legislation.
Lagman, a leading proponent of controversial House Bill No. 5043, said the measure’s co-authors now numbered 108 out of 238 congressmen.
Based on the “normal quorum” of 150 in the House of Representatives, he said, the bill’s supporters constituted a majority.
The Albay lawmaker also corrected media reports that “misquoted” him as saying that the bill was “12 votes shy of the approval of the House.”
Lagman’s statement contradicted the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) claim that the proposed Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development Act of 2008 had lost the support of congressmen.
Jaro Archbishop and CBCP president Angel Lagdameo had earlier said that a survey conducted by Catholic Church-owned Radio Veritas showed that out of 177 congressmen interviewed, 111 were against the bill, 43 in favor and 23 were undecided.
HB 5043 needs 120 votes to be approved on second reading in Congress.
The proposed law would make artificial contraception more accessible to the public through health programs and calls for sex education in schools, both of which the Catholic Church opposes.
The Catholic Church, meanwhile, tried to downplay an emerging rift with other religious groups over the controversial bill.
“The people should not conclude that the debate over the RH (reproductive health) bill is a war of religion, as some members of the media have tried to portray it,” Lagdameo said in an interview over Radio Veritas on Friday.
“This is not a war of religion because each [group] has its own position on the RH bill. The Catholic Church’s position is clear that [the bill] is against the teachings of the Church and should not be made into law,” he said.
The Iglesia ni Cristo and Jesus is Lord Movement have endorsed the bill, along with some Protestant and Muslim leaders.
The bill requires government hospitals to include contraceptives in their supply purchases and would require mandatory reproductive health education in schools.
At present, local governments make contraceptives available in barangay health centers.
The bill would also require local governments to employ enough midwives or attendants for a ratio of one for every 150 deliveries per year; to have an emergency obstetric care and maternal death review; and to provide mobile health care services. Dona Pazzibugan; Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Lagman, a leading proponent of controversial House Bill No. 5043, said the measure’s co-authors now numbered 108 out of 238 congressmen.
Based on the “normal quorum” of 150 in the House of Representatives, he said, the bill’s supporters constituted a majority.
The Albay lawmaker also corrected media reports that “misquoted” him as saying that the bill was “12 votes shy of the approval of the House.”
Lagman’s statement contradicted the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) claim that the proposed Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development Act of 2008 had lost the support of congressmen.
Jaro Archbishop and CBCP president Angel Lagdameo had earlier said that a survey conducted by Catholic Church-owned Radio Veritas showed that out of 177 congressmen interviewed, 111 were against the bill, 43 in favor and 23 were undecided.
HB 5043 needs 120 votes to be approved on second reading in Congress.
The proposed law would make artificial contraception more accessible to the public through health programs and calls for sex education in schools, both of which the Catholic Church opposes.
The Catholic Church, meanwhile, tried to downplay an emerging rift with other religious groups over the controversial bill.
“The people should not conclude that the debate over the RH (reproductive health) bill is a war of religion, as some members of the media have tried to portray it,” Lagdameo said in an interview over Radio Veritas on Friday.
“This is not a war of religion because each [group] has its own position on the RH bill. The Catholic Church’s position is clear that [the bill] is against the teachings of the Church and should not be made into law,” he said.
The Iglesia ni Cristo and Jesus is Lord Movement have endorsed the bill, along with some Protestant and Muslim leaders.
The bill requires government hospitals to include contraceptives in their supply purchases and would require mandatory reproductive health education in schools.
At present, local governments make contraceptives available in barangay health centers.
The bill would also require local governments to employ enough midwives or attendants for a ratio of one for every 150 deliveries per year; to have an emergency obstetric care and maternal death review; and to provide mobile health care services. Dona Pazzibugan; Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Lagman laments moot attacks vs reproductive bill
27 September 2008, A15
By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
LEGAZPI CITY—ALBAY REP. EDCEL LAGman deplored the “irrelevant attacks” on the reproductive health bill thrown by opposing lawmakers during deliberations in Congress on the controversial population measure.
Lagman, principal author of House Bill No. 5043 on reproductive health, referred to the long-winding debates, which were mostly queries or objections on the procedure and technicalities of the bill’s approval at the committee levels.
The bill was approved by four committees in the House of Representatives—health, population and family relations, appropriations and rules.
Deputy House Speaker Raul del Mar raised alleged “technical defects” in the approval of the bill by the health committee and the population and family relations committee, which jointly approved the bill without a dissenting vote.
Del Mar questioned the legitimate funding support and reproductive health advocacy of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation Inc.
In a statement sent to the Inquirer, Lagman said he was confident the bill would still be passed despite the “dilatory tactics” of those opposing the measure.
“Delay is not victory,” he said.
Lagman’s daughter, Tabaco City Mayor Krisel Lagman-Luistro, also defended the bill from Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez who proposed that discussions on the bill be deferred.
Golez said the bill not only divided the country but also took away focus from the more important task of addressing the world financial crisis.
Lagman-Luistro said that when “financial crisis” was on the table for discussion, so should “population” and “quality of life.”
“We have to understand that the reproductive health bill is not only a measure on population management but also a way of uplifting the Filipinos’ quality of life, especially in these dire times,” she said.
Lagman-Luistro also hit lawmakers who said the bill was not necessary since artificial contraceptives were already available in stores.
“Availability does not necessarily mean access. This bill will eventually have funds to ensure people’s access to contraceptives,” she said.
She added that there were now at least 99 lawmakers supporting the measure.
When Lagman-Luistro represented the first district of Albay in Congress in 2001, she authored House Bill No. 4110 or the “Reproductive Health Care Act,” which served as the basis for her father’s HB 5043.
The bill promotes the use of both artificial and natural means of family planning, among others, which is being opposed by the Catholic Church, religious groups and even President Macapagal-Arroyo.
By Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon
LEGAZPI CITY—ALBAY REP. EDCEL LAGman deplored the “irrelevant attacks” on the reproductive health bill thrown by opposing lawmakers during deliberations in Congress on the controversial population measure.
Lagman, principal author of House Bill No. 5043 on reproductive health, referred to the long-winding debates, which were mostly queries or objections on the procedure and technicalities of the bill’s approval at the committee levels.
The bill was approved by four committees in the House of Representatives—health, population and family relations, appropriations and rules.
Deputy House Speaker Raul del Mar raised alleged “technical defects” in the approval of the bill by the health committee and the population and family relations committee, which jointly approved the bill without a dissenting vote.
Del Mar questioned the legitimate funding support and reproductive health advocacy of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation Inc.
In a statement sent to the Inquirer, Lagman said he was confident the bill would still be passed despite the “dilatory tactics” of those opposing the measure.
“Delay is not victory,” he said.
Lagman’s daughter, Tabaco City Mayor Krisel Lagman-Luistro, also defended the bill from Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez who proposed that discussions on the bill be deferred.
Golez said the bill not only divided the country but also took away focus from the more important task of addressing the world financial crisis.
Lagman-Luistro said that when “financial crisis” was on the table for discussion, so should “population” and “quality of life.”
“We have to understand that the reproductive health bill is not only a measure on population management but also a way of uplifting the Filipinos’ quality of life, especially in these dire times,” she said.
Lagman-Luistro also hit lawmakers who said the bill was not necessary since artificial contraceptives were already available in stores.
“Availability does not necessarily mean access. This bill will eventually have funds to ensure people’s access to contraceptives,” she said.
She added that there were now at least 99 lawmakers supporting the measure.
When Lagman-Luistro represented the first district of Albay in Congress in 2001, she authored House Bill No. 4110 or the “Reproductive Health Care Act,” which served as the basis for her father’s HB 5043.
The bill promotes the use of both artificial and natural means of family planning, among others, which is being opposed by the Catholic Church, religious groups and even President Macapagal-Arroyo.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Go to grass roots, Lagman daughter tells Church
14 September 2008, inside page
By Ephraim Aguilar
TABACO CITY, Philippines—If there is one staunch advocate of the controversial reproductive health bill in Congress aside from its principal author, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, it would be Krisel Lagman-Luistro.
Aside from being the lawmaker’s daughter, she is the mayor of this city and a nurse by profession.
As a local official and health worker, Lagman-Luistro says she operates in the grass roots, where the problems that the bill seeks to address lie.
“Every time I wed couples, I ask them how many children they want to have. Most couples say two,” Lagman-Luistro said.
The average family size in the region, however, is around five.
Lagman-Luistro said the government can and should help couples bridge the gap between their desired family size and its attainment.
On Friday, ahead of the plenary debates on her father’s proposed reproductive health bill, the mayor called on the Catholic Church to listen to the problems of poor families.
She said the Catholic Church would be rendering itself “irrelevant” to its flock by continuously opposing the measure. She said an overwhelming number of Filipinos “strongly approve of the government’s allocation of funds for modern contraceptives.”
“If the Catholic Church wants to continue to be significant in the lives of the faithful, it must listen to its flock or risk becoming irrelevant,” she said.
The Church opposes the use of contraceptives.
Lagman-Luistro said parish priests who meet with the people face-to-face should tell their superiors of their community’s problems regarding unwanted pregnancies, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, overpopulation and poverty.
“But the problem with the Catholic hierarchy is that it has become even more political than the government,” she said.
Lagman-Luistro said that contrary to the claims of the Church, the reproductive health bill or HB 5043 does not promote abortion but hopes to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
“We simply want to give people more choices on family planning,” she said.
Lagman-Luistro said they also support natural family planning as one option but it does not work with all couples.
Lagman-Luistro said the Church and the government should allow people to choose other legal, safe and effective means to plan their families.
“I cannot, as a leader, choose for my people. In the same way that the Church leaders should not choose for their flock. We are promoting choice,” she said.
When Lagman-Luistro represented the first district of Albay in Congress in 2001, she authored House Bill 4110 or the “Reproductive Health Care Act,” which served as the basis for her father’s HB 5043.
“When opposition to HB 4110 arose, it’s signatories withdrew one by one. The bill only reached the committee level,” she recounted.
By Ephraim Aguilar
TABACO CITY, Philippines—If there is one staunch advocate of the controversial reproductive health bill in Congress aside from its principal author, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, it would be Krisel Lagman-Luistro.
Aside from being the lawmaker’s daughter, she is the mayor of this city and a nurse by profession.
As a local official and health worker, Lagman-Luistro says she operates in the grass roots, where the problems that the bill seeks to address lie.
“Every time I wed couples, I ask them how many children they want to have. Most couples say two,” Lagman-Luistro said.
The average family size in the region, however, is around five.
Lagman-Luistro said the government can and should help couples bridge the gap between their desired family size and its attainment.
On Friday, ahead of the plenary debates on her father’s proposed reproductive health bill, the mayor called on the Catholic Church to listen to the problems of poor families.
She said the Catholic Church would be rendering itself “irrelevant” to its flock by continuously opposing the measure. She said an overwhelming number of Filipinos “strongly approve of the government’s allocation of funds for modern contraceptives.”
“If the Catholic Church wants to continue to be significant in the lives of the faithful, it must listen to its flock or risk becoming irrelevant,” she said.
The Church opposes the use of contraceptives.
Lagman-Luistro said parish priests who meet with the people face-to-face should tell their superiors of their community’s problems regarding unwanted pregnancies, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, overpopulation and poverty.
“But the problem with the Catholic hierarchy is that it has become even more political than the government,” she said.
Lagman-Luistro said that contrary to the claims of the Church, the reproductive health bill or HB 5043 does not promote abortion but hopes to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
“We simply want to give people more choices on family planning,” she said.
Lagman-Luistro said they also support natural family planning as one option but it does not work with all couples.
Lagman-Luistro said the Church and the government should allow people to choose other legal, safe and effective means to plan their families.
“I cannot, as a leader, choose for my people. In the same way that the Church leaders should not choose for their flock. We are promoting choice,” she said.
When Lagman-Luistro represented the first district of Albay in Congress in 2001, she authored House Bill 4110 or the “Reproductive Health Care Act,” which served as the basis for her father’s HB 5043.
“When opposition to HB 4110 arose, it’s signatories withdrew one by one. The bill only reached the committee level,” she recounted.
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