Underhanded

The present practice of calling for a press conference to expose certain anomalies or alleged wrongdoings of officials in the past administration somehow does not jibe with the concept of fair play. Even if it is emphasized that the persons mentioned are not directly implicated or will not necessarily be charged until they have aired and explained their side, the proper and fair move here is still to refer the matter first to the appropriate investigating and prosecuting arm of the government like the Ombudsman or the State Prosecutors of the Department of Justice to give those involved in the alleged irregularities and misdeeds the chance to be heard before filing the case in the court of justice.

This practice is really very damaging because the officials holding the press conference have already formed their own conclusions or judgments which may be false or erroneous, while members of media themselves sometimes tend to exaggerate, sensationalize, give other meanings or conclusions or even misquote the statements or press releases made in connection with the incidents surrounding the exposes. Public opinion is thus prematurely formed condemning the alleged acts done and the people who allegedly committed them.

What happened to the seven Catholic prelates given assistance in kind by the PCSO clearly illustrates this point. While the main targets of the expose was the management of the PCSO under the Arroyo administration, the bishops had been unnecessarily and unfairly dragged into the picture for allegedly committing an unconstitutional and immoral act of receiving “Pajeros” or luxurious vehicles for their personal use when in truth, the vehicles given were heavy duty 4x4 utility vehicles used by the prelates mainly for the purpose of helping the PCSO and the government in their health and social welfare projects for the poor people in far flung areas.

The wrongly perceived “scandal” has undoubtedly caused damage to the Church hierarchy and its flock. Differences have arisen among some Catholics regarding the controversy. Many Catholic faithful have been “confused, disturbed and scandalized” by the unfolding events of the past two weeks. The pastors realized that the Church has been “deeply wounded” by this controversy. Hence the CBCP issued an apology to “our dear people of God” for the “pain and sadness that these events have brought upon you”.

Unfortunately this pastoral statement has also been misinterpreted especially by the pro-RH bill advocates as an admission of guilt even if the only admission made therein is only the “failure” of the seven bishops “to consider the pitfalls (like being wrongly accused and condemned) to which these grants could possibly lead them”. Indeed the leftists and pro-RH bill advocates continue to exploit the situation and persist in attacking and ridiculing the bishops as they renew their push for the passage of said bill. Somehow their stance has confirmed the observation that the recent expose of alleged scandals involving the bishops have some connection with the bishops’ staunch opposition to the RH bill. They are designed to ruin the credibility of the Catholic prelates and thus weaken the merits of their objections to the RH bill. But their tactic has apparently boomeranged as shown by the facts and the applicable law unearthed and established in the Senate inquiry.

This RH bill has really divided our country and has sown so much animosity among our countrymen. It has even damage reputations because of the unfair and unfounded personal attacks against those opposing it. These factors alone are enough reasons for our legislators to be wary about the bill. If the bill is really for the common good of our people, there will be no need to resort to those kinds of underhanded tactics.

Lately, its supporters are suggesting once more that Congress already put the bill into a vote especially in the light of the recent reports that the world population has reached 7 billion with the Philippines being in number 12 among the nations with a big population that continues to grow. They are again reiterating the oft repeated proposition that the RH bill is necessary to check or “manage” our growing population so that our economic gains can cope up with it and thus solve our problem of poverty. For the nth time they are advocating the couples’ freedom of choice in planning the size of their family as part of responsible parenthood for, as they repeatedly say, it is easier to feed, clothe, shelter, educate and provide for the needs of 3 than of 7 or 8 children.

Actually however, even without the RH bill, couples already have that freedom of choice. They are already free to plan the size of their families depending on their means. Indeed statistics from the NSO reveal that the average size of the family has already been reduced from 7 children during the ’60s and ’70s to three children now. The growth rate of our population is actually on the decline from a high of 3.01 percent in 1960 -70 to 1.96 percent in 2009-2010. I have pointed these facts before but the advocates refuse to see them. They only see and point out to the still growing population especially among the poor, oblivious of the fact that this is not the overall average trend and also of the fact that our population is still growing only because of the phenomenon known as “population momentum” where there are still many women of reproductive age so there are children still being born. But once these women go beyond reproductive age, there will be fewer women to replace them and the new births will be unable to replace the number of deaths.

To be sure, the bill’s proponents refuse to see these demographic facts because the bill’s real purpose is to appropriate billions of pesos worth of artificial contraceptives that are not really contraceptives but abortifacients or drugs causing cancer and serious diseases. In this sense, women really have a “free choice” because they will be provided with the so called “contraceptives” for free, at government expense.

If this bill will really be voted upon, our legislators must verify these demographic and medical facts. They must look into them according to the “disposition of their hearts”. For they “can see the truth only if they first have it in their hearts”, as UST Rector Fr. Rolando de Rosa, O.P. used to remind us.

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