Does PNoy really know RH Bill’s contents? Laguna clergy asks

SAN PABLO City, April 26, 2011—Some Laguna priests have expressed doubts whether President Benigno “Noynoy” Simeon C. Aquino has studied thoroughly the contents of the controversial Reproductive Hill bill (RHB), otherwise known as House Bill No. 4244 (the proposed Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011).

The clergy are baffled by the president’s claim that he is against abortion, and yet he continues to strongly push for the approval of the questionable bill.

The priests are asking whether P-Noy knows that by definition “reproductive rights” which RHB is trying to promote, is actually pushing for “legal or safe abortion.”

“Perhaps the president does not know the whole content of RH Bill. He said that he is against abortion perhaps just to appease the Catholic hierarchy,” said Fr. Jerry Oblepias, the Director of the Diocesan Family Life Ministry in Laguna.

Oblepias is aware that by definition “reproductive rights may include some or all of the following: the rights to legal or safe abortion, the right to birth control, the right to access quality reproductive healthcare, and the right to education and access in order to make reproductive choices free from coercion, discrimination, and violence.”

Pro-Life advocates explained that this (legal or safe abortion pushed by reproductive rights) is one of the hidden agenda behind the RHB which avid proponents led by Bicol Congressman Edcel Lagman and his minions consistently hide from the public.

They declare that when the bill becomes a law, it would be like opening a “Pandora’s box” where all these murderous evils would be revealed and to oppose it at this time would be too late.

A Manila daily has recently quoted Aquino as saying: “I am against abortion,” and added that he was in favor of “giving couples the right to choose how best to manage their families so that in the end, their welfare and that of their children are best served.”

“My [humble] advice [to our President] is to understand that Easter is a celebration of life. And [my advice] to those who support the RHB, they don’t deserve to celebrate Easter [because] it may be an outright contradiction,” the priest said.

Fr. Eduardo Arupo, parish priest of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in San Pablo City is also wondering why PNoy does not know the deeper issues behind the highly contested bill.

When asked of his opinion whether PNoy really knows the full meaning of “reproductive rights”, an important theme in RH Bill, the priest said “Di natin alam na sa isip ni PNoy e. Baka yun lang kasi sinabi rin sa kanya ng ilang
malapit sa kanya e. (We do not know what’s in the mind of PNoy. Perhaps those are the only things that are fed to him by his trusted allies).

Fr. Raul Matienzo parish priest of Sts. John and Paul Parish in Calamba City, reacting to the same question by this writer said PNoy is only playing politics.

“Perhaps he is allowing himself to be influenced by the aggressive campaign of pharmaceutical/laboratory agents [who produce condoms, pills, IUDs, injectables, etc.] and his hands could be tied already.” (Fr. Romulo Ponte)