The fight is far from over!

From the blog Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter:

PRO-RH SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE DEATH OF PHILIPPINE DEMOCRACY

Pro-Life lobbyists throw their hands in the air to applaud courageous Pro-Life congressmen 

who voted "No" to the RH Bill (Photo courtesy of CBCP for Life)

December 13, 2012 was the day democracy died (again) in our country.  And it is ironic that it was the very son of the hero who once restored democracy in our land, who actually put it to death.  This is even scarier because at least when Martial Law was declared 40 years ago, people were aware of the dictatorship, but now it is a silent one.  What's worse, some people-- many of them probably unsuspecting-- even celebrated it.  It is such a pity that they did not know they were not really celebrating the passage of the RH Bill, but the resurrection of Marcos.

I am against the RH Bill and although I felt sad that it was passed on second reading, what made me sadder was the process by which it was passed.  "Sad" is actually an understatement as I was already on the verge of tears out of anger as I witnessed how the Pro-RH people railroaded the bill at the House of Representatives in the wee hours of the night.  Aside from the public knowledge that our congressmen were bribed with P280 million worth of pork barrel by PNoy, we also learned while the five-hour nominal voting was going on, that Malacanang sent Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, Secretary Ricky Carandang, and Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, to pressure the congressmen to either vote yes to RH Bill or just go home and abstain from voting.  This is nothing but sheer corruption and abuse AND misuse of authority.

One of my Facebook friends tried to justify this, saying that what Malacañang did was just the same as what the Church is doing to the congressmen as She "threatens" them with the Catholic Vote.  However, this is an illogical analogy.  LOBBYING and BRIBING are two different things.  On one hand, the Church (composed of both lay and religious people) came to the House of Representatives as ordinary citizens exercising their right to lobby, and they stayed on the second and third floor galleries of the Batasan Building.  On the other hand, these people from Malacañang were operating inside the South Lounge of the building, looking for congressmen to send home as the fight between the votes became very close, as reported by the Inquirer.  If  Roxas, Lacierda, Carandang, and Abad came as ordinary citizens exercising their rights, they should have also stayed in the gallery where they would have been visible to all.  But wherever they stayed that night does not change the fact that they destroyed the integrity of the Philippine Government as the Executive Branch violated the independence of our legislators.  Nothing can justify that.

Contrary to what another one of my Pro-RH friends said, we are very far from a "politically mature Philippine legislative system," but we are definitely still stuck in a corrupt one.  However, I believe there is still hope-- and a huge one at that.  Considering the tally of votes: 113 allowed themselves to be bribed and dictated upon, 104 stood their ground and kept their integrity, and 3 abstained, those are 104 sparks of hope we got there!  And they could be more come Monday as the 63 absentees cast their vote on the Third Reading.

This fight is far from over.  What our congressmen need most right now is our moral support and assurance that if ever they do decide to go against the wishes of our President, they have the Filipino people to fall back on.  So be with us on Monday (December 17, 2012) either at the House of Representatives (Quezon City) or at the Senate (Pasay City) and show our love and support for our courageous legislators.  This is no longer just a fight for LIFE but a fight for our DEMOCRACY as well.  See you there!

The real problem

A student paper's courageous stand versus the RH bill

The recent editorial of DMMAxim, the official Student Publication of DMMA College of Southern Philippines (source):

“The long-term solution”

Despite the condemnation of some religious sectors, the congress has been speeding up the passage of the“Reproductive Health Bill” or otherwise known as the “Responsible Parenthood Bill” as they stand on their objective to provide an immediate solution to the exploding population of our country which is pointed out to be the root cause of poverty.

Part of the content of the bill is the prevention of the widely spread sexually transmitted disease, information on sex and reproduction, unwanted pregnancy, and other reproductive health concerns through the use of modern contraceptive methods.

People might wonder, however, what the real drive of the bills.  As it has been observed, anyone today can freely purchase a condom and other forms of contraception whether in a pharmacy or in a convenience store. In fact, some parents have been using condoms and other forms of contraception in order to space the birth of their children. Also, some of the youth today who engaged in pre-marital sex are already knowledgeable about these. On the other hand, some religious sectors have already recommended an alternative way in controlling population which does not violate the tenets of the church, such as the existing family planning program which uses natural and scientific knowledge and methods.

Taking these into consideration would lead to the question: Is the population of our country really the root cause of poverty?

A huge part of our population belongs to the ranks of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). In the year 2009, remittances from the OFW sector reached a record of US$ 16.4 Billion which is equivalent to 10 percent of the gross domestic product of our country that year. If these remittances were only used appropriately for the people, it would have been of great help, if not totally address, poverty.

What really happens in the Philippines is a grave unequal distribution of wealth. The rich gets richer, while the poor gets poorer and remain vulnerable, while the powerful politicians have a stranglehold control over the Philippine government. When they should be formulating resolutions to solve the poverty, they keep on grabbing the resources left from our treasury. At the end of the day, they fail to deliver what the people really need.

Indeed, RH bill cannot be placed as an address to our countless problems. The rising poverty rate cannot be blamed on the population, but on the corruption that takes place in the high offices of our government. What our lawmakers have been doing right now is formulating an instant solution to poverty without addressing the root cause of it. If our lawmakers are sincere enough in addressing this problem, then they must instead strengthen our laws on corruption cases to prevent some of our corrupt officials from dipping their dirty fingers into the nation’s coffers. Only by then can genuine change and long-term solutions come into existence.

Priorities

Charismatic Episcopal Archbishop versus Media Bias and the RH Bill

The passage below is from last Sunday's sermon (May 22, 2011) by Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines, the Charismatic Episcopal Church's Archbishop of Manila and Primate for the Philippines and Asia (underlining is by CAP). CBCP News has also just published an article on Archbishop Hines' statements in Mindoro versus the RH Bill and Business Mirror has published an article on his opposition to the RH Bill: Episcopal Church joins Catholics in rejecting RH bill. 

(NB: the Charismatic Episcopal Church is not to be confused with the pro-RH and theologically liberal "Episcopal Church in the Philippines".)

We are given the hope of Easter. Jesus speaks to us, “Truly, truly…” It is not just one, “truly”. “Truly, truly I say to you.” He is verifying the fact that this is a truth that comes from the very heart of God; a truth that no one can change. Christ said that He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.” Why do we live in despair and in anxiety? Why do we pay attention to what men speak to us? Do we not understand that many times the things they say come out of their desires, their anxieties or their agendas? They do not necessarily speak to us the truth; but they speak to us what they want. They speak to us as how they want us to think. When someone of importance makes a speech internationally, as soon as they finish, the news people will follow and they will say, “We will explain to you what they said.” It is as if we were so ignorant, so dumb that we could not understand their words. We couldn’t interpret what they speak. We have to be told what to believe. We are told what they meant, things supposedly underneath what they said. Who knows what is there? That these news people have special gifts of understanding? Do they have these crystal balls? How can we interpret what someone else says? They do this to us so that they control our thoughts. 

In Saigon, I was listening to an Asian news broadcast. They were interviewing a personality from the Philippines and they were talking about the RH Bill. As I listened, I was shocked and amazed at the twisting of truth, of the blunt lines that were spoken, of things that were not true. I thought, “Why can we not tell the truth? Why are so weak in our personalities, in our own securities that we have to exaggerate and twist thoughts in order to have people think the way we think?” I was shocked and amazed and I was talking back to the television, “It is not true. That is a lie! Why do you go on international connections and say things that tear our people apart and take away our recognition, our reputation from the whole world as if we were barbarian – people who were hating one another and pulling one another down?” I was grieved! I was upset, and probably, angry. 

This is how we find society today around us. We cannot speak the truth. We are afraid of the truth. If you listen to the debates on the RH Bill, they do not discuss the provision of the bill. They attack the personalities. They put people down and they try to say that others have this agenda. Why can we not be human and be rational as though we have lost our security and our own identity in the world we live in today? 

Jesus speaks peace, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God.” After all, this universe belongs to Him. It doesn’t not belong to these different groups and organizations and governmental structures. These people don’t own this world; it belongs to God. God says in the Old and the New Testament, “I am your God and you are My people.” We belong to Him. 

In the Garden of Eden, the enemy took away the commitment of Adam and Eve to God so that they would question the truth and the accuracy of what God spoke. As a consequence, life became miserable and sad. Before, as Adam and Eve would walk in the Garden in the cool of the evening with God, there was peace. There was no such thing as sin. There was no shame because everything was perfect the way God intended it. Does it not speak very loudly to us today as a thinking people and a people who rationalize and analyze circumstances? At that time when people were walking with God, things were at peace. Would it not draw us to that because when man separated from God, all hell broke loose in their lives? Does it not wake us up to the fact that as Jesus speaks and says, “I am the Way?” He calls us to be His people. 1Peter2 says, “Called, chosen to be a holy nation, a royal priesthood; God’s people for His possession.” Should not our loyalties and our commitments be unto Him? Should they not be that which speaks loud and clear unto His being? Should they not be that which challenges us to look at the Way and find out how Christ prepared the way for us to walk in? He did not only prepare the way for us to walk in, but He filled it with good deeds. 

I was awakened in the night by a thought that was in my mind. I was recalling the news of a week ago where that over 2.6 billion pesos that had been given to the Department of Health was missing. This amount was meant to be used in distributing contraceptives to the people. The thought in my mind was, “Why do we need an RH Bill when we are already distributing contraceptives to the people? Is this not something strange? Is this not something out of order?” The amount has not been accounted for, but it was designated for contraceptives. My mind went even further and I thought, “If only we could have taken away the 2.6 billion and maybe several other billions that have been used for this bill, we could have set up training programs for those who are “poor” and we would train them.” I remember before that we used to have cottage industries. We could train the people in order that they could take care of themselves and be creative and productive on an individual scale so that everyone was producing something out of their own talents and abilities. We would not need to control population. We would not need to be taking care of other things if everyone was supplying his own needs. If we would use these funds to raise people up and to give them confidence in their own abilities, would it not then bring to this nation a credibility of overcoming poverty by developing individuals rather than destroying them? 

I have realized that part of that thought came from the time when I was in Vietnam because the people are so creative and industrious in that nation. There was the cleanliness of the city; the manicuring of the gardens and the many parks with huge great trees which are a hundred years old reaching to the sky. You do not drive down the streets without these trees that bring the coolness, the cleanliness of the air. The people are busy and creative. If they are not a gardener, they are doing something else. They have come up with so many unique things so that they could take care of themselves. Could we not be training our people too? Could we not give of ourselves? If only we could stop the corruption, which is in the billions or trillions of pesos that are stolen by government officials. Could we not bring this nation to a prosperity that would make us glorious in Asia? 

If only we could stop the corruption, we don’t need to control the population. We need to control the corruption in the population. If we would do this, we would find that we have more than enough to meet our needs. We could be a nation that would be proud of who we are. We would not be ashamed and we would not be tempted to send our women into other countries where they are abused, beaten and raped, and we do nothing about it at all. What a shame upon us that we would this to our own and put them into slavery as such. 

God has given us ability. Jesus says, “I am the Way.” We did not see Jesus sending people into such things. Jesus met their needs. Jesus supplied the hope and the joy to them. He delivered them from their bondage and slavery. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, and raised the dead. 

What a challenge for Christianity today. Do not look at the world because the world is dark and self-centered – thinking of its own. God put His people in the midst of these things - to be a witness, to be a light, and to proclaim the greatness and the provision of God. Jesus said, “I have prepared a place for us.” Not only has He prepared a place for us, but He has prepared us for the place, to be the ministry, and us to be that which God has given us to do. 

Jesus speaks to us, “Truly, truly, the things that I have done, you shall do.” Can we see that ability? I get tired of hearing people say, “I can’t do this. It is too expensive. It is too hard.” I don’t believe these things are truth; these things are excuses. God has given to us grace, power, and authority. He says to us, “All things are possible.” There are no exceptions. We are God’s people. He has chosen us to declare and demonstrate His excellencies – not to murmur and to complain; not to attack and put down; but to lift up, to bring hope and life and joy.

The real cause of poverty - 2

Why Graft and Corruption is the cause of poverty and not overpopulation 2

By "Cathy" of PINaysaAmerika

Dear insansapinas,

Updated:

Karugtong ito ng una, Siyempre, may una, meron ding pangalawa. roll eyes.

Definition of terms:

Ang corruption, mga kabarangay ay hindi lang ang pagtanggap ng bribery. Kasama rin dito ang pilferage, extortion, fraud, NEPOTISM, theft, embezzlement and`falsification of records.

Graft and Corruption sa Department of Health

Ngayong taon ay itinanggi ng Dept of Health na may mga ghost employees sila. Mga nagmumulto, tumatanggap ng suweldo pero hindi naman pumapasok. Sabagay lahat naman ng sangay ng gobyerno mayroong multo.Hindi ka ba naman papayag magmulto kung kalahati ng sweldo ay ibibigay saiyo at kalahati ay pinaghahati-hatian ng mga buwakanng mga may hawak sa personnel services. Hindi ka naman papsok o kaya pag pumasok ka man ay para lang magbundy clock. Aba kahit hindi ka nurse puwede ka nilang ilagay sa payroll. Bakit nagco0cause ito ng poverty? Kasi yong talagang mga gustong magtrabaho, hindi makatrabaho, dahil puno ang plantilla ng multo. Sa isang tingin lang ba ng Secretary at sa tanung-tanong, malalaman na nga niya pag may "nagmumulto" o wala.

The real cause of poverty - 1

Why Graft and Corruption is the cause of poverty and not overpopulation (Part 1)
By "Cathy" of PINaysaAmerika

Dear insansapinas,

Maraming babato sa akin nito pero tatawagin ko si Pacmom para ihalihaw niya ang kanyang Hermes bag. mwahaha .Besides, my opinion is not based on emotion. Hindi rin ako nakikigaya sa mga celebrities na baka hindi alam na ang growth rate ng population is net of the birth and death and the migration to and from the country. Hindi lang ito ang nabubuo pag may sex. By the way, basahin ang article ni Resty na nagconfirmed sa sinulat ko noon about population growth rates DITO.

Simulan natin sa BIR.

Every quarter you will read from the news, that the agency did not meet the targeted collection. Bakit Virginia, tanungin ninyo ako? Sige na. Kasi sa graft ang corruption. HOW HOW DE CARABAO does this causes poverty. Teh, mahabang kuento yan. Ito.

A blank check for politicos

Buyers Beware: RH Bill P731 Million
by Cordi Villa

While the rest of the nation is busy taking sides in the debate between the individual's right to choose versus the Catholic Church's stand against artificial birth control, the House of Representatives is moving closer to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. After reading  The Consolidated RH Bill, I gather that discussions should be more in the practical sense. Let the buyer beware.

Before anything else, allow me to put some things on the table:

• The Catholic Church has done nothing but respect and protect God's gift of life to every human being, born and unborn. 
• On the other side, the Philippine government continues to be viewed as having a serious corruption problem. On a scale of  01 to 10, with 10 being the worst, the country garnered a score of  8.9, poorer than 8.25 in 2010, as reported by Political & Economic Risk Consultancy, Ltd in Hong Kong. (ABS-CBNnews.com)
• There are more pressing problems in the country today. Just look around you. 
• UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Jacqueline Badcock said the UN provides support to programs of the Philippine government but will not include providing contraceptives. (PhilStar)
• There are several articles written in the Journal of American Medical Association on the harmful side effects of contraceptives, some of them leading to cancer and death.

Now that we are all in the same page, let us get down to brass tacks. Have you read the RH Bill?  I did, and some sections glared at me while reading it.

Sec. 6, Emergency Obstetric Care, states in part: For every 500,000 population, there shall be at least one (1) hospital with comprehensive emergency obstetric care and four (4) hospitals or other health facilities with basic emergency obstetric care.

Now, try clicking this - Google Books. Did you notice the hospital figures on the right hand page of the book? I understand that this is the "acceptable minimum level" as written in a foreign context. However, are we talking about a "one size fits all"  legislation?  Should our intelligent members of Congress conduct their own study and come up with a Filipino version of what is acceptable?  In my previous post, A Troubling Health Care Issue, I described the RH Bill AS A CUT AND PASTE JOB!

SEC. 14. Benefits for Serious and Life-Threatening Reproductive Health Conditions. All serious and life threatening reproductive health conditions such as HIV and AIDS, breast and reproductive tract cancers, obstetric complications, menopausal and post-menopausal related conditions shall be given the maximum benefits as provided by PhilHealth programs.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. missed the Dec 2010 target mandated by law for it to provide universal health coverage to Filipinos. Health experts say the agency is poorly managed and consequently unable to deliver quality health care to those who need it most. A 2010 Social Weather Station survey on health care services and financing showed only 36 percent of respondents have PhilHealth coverage. (Vera Files)

Do you think the RH Bill will do better when their hedge or insurance for some very real risks is PhilHealth?

Sec.15,  Mobile Health Care Service. Each Congressional District shall be provided with at least one Mobile Health Care Service (MHCS) in the form of a van or other means of transportation appropriate to coastal or mountainous areas.

The provisions set for some serious medical needs most likely to arise from this haphazard project by the House of Representatives ARE SO MINIMAL that a single corrupt irregular transaction can tip the scale to more serious health problems.

Sec 30. Appropriations. The amounts appropriated in the current annual General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Family Health and Responsible Parenting under the DOH and POPCOM and other concerned agencies shall be allocated and utilized for the initial implementation of this Act. 

It so happens that it is P731 Million for 2011. This initial amount has been earmarked to cover expenses for information campaign alone. (GMANews.com)

I bet you that in a couple of years, we will be watching some very dramatic Congressional hearings again on government funds filtering its way to nice houses in the United States, or to some guy's safety deposit box in a Swiss bank.

The absurdity of it all is the absence of any project cost analysis report, timetable, risk analysis and management, etc. It sounds more like "bahala na si Batman" to me.

Before I close, I would like to leave you with the following questions:

• Are you willing to hand over some post dated and blank checks to the House of Representatives?
• Do you trust that this RH Bill will result to any good at all when it clearly exhibits a lack of thorough research and analysis?
• Who among the foreign pharmaceutical firms will be dumping selling us the materials and drugs for this project?
• Would you not rather spend for projects like Emergency Management similar to what the U.S. and Canada are doing to prepare for disasters that are likely to happen? Look at what happened to our neighbors in Japan.
• Do you want to give our corrupt-ridden government blanket authority over the future of your children's reproductive health? 

P.S. Thank you to Boyet Ignacio for his generosity in allowing me the use of his photo. His pictures really do speak a thousand words.