MANILA, July 14, 2011—A diocesan clergy director of the Commission on Family and Life in Metro Manila urged FLA coordinators to promote and stick to the four natural methods in fertility regulation to avoid confusion among the receptors of the program. These are the Billings Ovulation method (BOM), Basal Body Temperature (BBT), Sympto-Thermal and Lactational Amenorrhea (breastfeeding).
Rev. Fr. Lambert Legaspino, CFLA Director of the Diocese of Paranaque, reminded delegates to the Southern Tagalog and Metro Manila Regional Summit Conference on Family and Life held recently, to adhere to the unanimous resolution adopted during the 2nd National Conference of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life last November 29-Dec.2, 2010 in Antipolo City.
At the conclusion of the National Conference last year, the delegates composed of clergy, religious and lay collaborators coming from the different dioceses in the country adopted a resolution calling for the establishment of Natural Family Planning Centers to promote and teach the four natural methods – BOM, the BBT, Sympto-Thermal, and Breastfeeding, “to help married couples enhance, restore, and deepen their marital love and communion.”
Lawyer George Dee, a delegate from the Diocese of San Pablo helped draft the said resolution. The medical doctors who participated in the conference, many of whom were obstretician-gynecologists, likewise affirmed their fidelity to the Holy Father and the Magisterium, and [pledged] to uphold and defend its teachings “with firm and definitive assent”.
Fr. Lambert told the delegates in the recently concluded regional summit of family and life leaders held in Tagaytay City to secure copies of the said resolution for their own guidance.
The four natural methods enumerated in the resolution have been considered highly effective and reliable and is consistent with the magisterial pronouncements of the Church on respecting life from the moment of conception to natural death.
Dr. Rene Bullecer, Human Life International-Philippines director and a resource person in the regional summit clarified and maintained that other methods are not reliable with a failure rate of 10 per 100 women.
The lay and clergy participants in the Human Life Philippines-ECFL Summit represented the Prelature of Infanta, Dioceses of San Pablo, Marinduque, Calapan, Romblon, Lucena, Gumaca, Imus, Antipolo, Parañaque and Cubao, and the Archdioceses of Lipa and Manila. (George Dee)
