NGOs launch signature drive for RH bill

MANILA, Philippines - A group of 17 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) launched a signature campaign to push for the immediate passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, which has been pending in Congress for more than 15 years.

According to Eden Divinagracia, executive director of the Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Development Inc. (PNGOC), the RH bill is a “mechanism to uplift the stature of living of common Filipino people.”

Divinagracia said that if passed, the bill will “prioritize the health of women, children and families, to make food and economic security and environmental sustainability attainable goals.”

“We are urging Congress to deliberate and vote on the RH bill immediately as a manifestation of their political will,” she said.

The petition paper showed that when the bill is passed into law, it will support “comprehensive programs including sexuality education, family planning and maternal and child health.”

“The bill drew ire from the Catholic church, the dominant religious sect in the country, and as a result has languished in Congress for more than 15 years. Numerous versions and rewrites were made, but still to no avail,” it added.

The group maintained that the bill will “pave the way for profound changes in access to reproductive health programs and services in the Philippines.”

“In 2008, an estimated 10.2 million women were at risk for unintended pregnancy. Abortion continues to grow, estimated at 400,000 to 500,000. Some studies say that this is even higher at nearly 800,000, one of the highest rates in Asia,” the petition also stated.

Best approach

Meanwhile, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) believes one-on-one meetings between church and government leaders are still the best approach in holding dialogues on the RH bill.

CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Family and Life executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro recalled that in the last plenary assembly of the bishops held last month, it seemed that the thrust was for “constant dialogue with legislators as individuals, not as groups as if there is a formal forum.”

Castro said he preferred a one-on-one approach because the bishops and archbishops have more time to explain quietly, to explain in a more personal manner their position on the RH bill. – With Evelyn Macairan