A Blogger's Take: More on the Spread of HIV/AIDS (June 24, 2011)

In line with my recent blog entry about the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and HIV in the Philippines, I stumbled upon yet again another blog entry of another blogger regarding this issue. This blog entry I came across, does not really have anything to do with the Reproductive Health Bill, but the information stated within this blog entry can be considered more reasons on why the RH Bill should finally be passed into a law here in the Philippines. As I have previously mentioned in my other blog entry, one of the reason why the RH Bill was penned is to prevent, and eventually stop, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and HIV here in the Philippines.

In this blog entry I stumbled upon, he wrote about the Department of Health’s (DOH) public announcement that HIV, among other sexually transmitted diseases, is the worts kind of epidemic the country will be facing in the future. The entry goes:

“The Department of Health (DOH) said the rise in the number of Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases among Filipino adolescents could become “tomorrow’s epidemic.”

On Wednesday, during the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) presentation of the “State of the World’s Children,” DOH National Epidemiology Center director Dr. Eric Tayag said that in 2010, one out of three HIV patients is from the 15-24 year old bracket.

The number of Filipino adolescents who are HIV-positive increased drastically in the last four years, from 44 cases in 2006 to 484 in 2010.

According to the UNICEF report, the Philippines is one of only seven countries where HIV cases increased by more than 25 percent from 2001 to 2009.

The highest number of new HIV cases was recorded in 2010, where 1,591 new cases were reported.”

The moment I read this report, I was taken aback by the staggering number of reported cases of Filipinos affected by the sexually transmitted disease called HIV. I was also surprised because the more modernize our country gets, the more unfortunate things like this happen. The way I see this, it just goes to show how a lot of Filipinos are uninformed of things such as this. A lot of Filipinos are unaware of HIV and the problems it cause people that is why a lot are infected with this disease. 

This is quite similar to what I have previously posted, but I wanted to do another entry like this because the number of Filipinos infected with HIV is surprisingly high. This just goes to show that a lot of Filipinos are engaging in sexual activities without using proper protection that is why they are infected with this disease. If the RH Bill is passed and becomes a law, a lot of Filipinos will have access to protection such as condoms and the spreading of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDS will be prevented. Since there is no cure discovered yet for this kind of disease, as of the moment, the provisions written within the RH Bill such as promoting the use of condoms is the best possible solution we currently have for this problem.

A Blogger's Take: Priest Asks RH Bill Supporters to Leave (June 23, 2011)

Among all the issues surrounding the RH Bill, this particular one probably annoys me and irritates me the most. A couple of months ago, I heard in the news that in a Catholic Church in Baguio, a priest who was celebrating the mass asked his parishioners to leave the Church immediately if they are supporters of the RH Bill. This angered me in so many levels because even though you are a priest, a vicar of the Lord God, I don not think you have the right to tell people, Catholics most especially, to leave the house of God just because they do not have the same beliefs as you do and the Catholic Church.

While searching for blog entries regarding the RH Bill, I stumbled upon one blogger who wrote about this untimely incident. He wrote:

“A priest at the Baguio Cathedral drew flak from some Catholics after he ordered people supporting the reproductive health bill to leave the church and stop hearing Mass.

His remarks drew outrage from some parishioners, who walked out in consternation.

The priest, whose identity was withheld, used his sermon to mock supporters of the bill such as former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel.

“Kung meron nakikimisa dito pero pro-RH bill… Please, go out. It’s useless,” the priest said.

“What is this mass for if you are pro-RH bill? What is going to Church for if you’re pro-RH bill?” he asked.

The prelate also criticized Hontiveros-Baraquel. “Ang ganda-gandang babae niya…pero ang pangit-pangit ng stand niya.”

ABS-CBN News tried to get the side of the priest, but he left for a“vacation” in Laoag.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines also declined to give a statement, saying the body prefers to air its stand in dialogues.”

I find this stint of this particular priest ridiculous for he has no right in any way to do such thing. Yes he is a leader of the Catholic Church, but no leader, whatever your religion is, should not act this way towards those people who look up to him. He is the leader of the Catholic Church, no matter how the Church’s stand is against his parishioners; he should make sense of everything and not do a sermon like this inside the Church. I hate to say this, but as a priest, he is an embarrassment to the Catholic Church. He is God’s representative here on earth to speak His word, he has no right to chastise Catholics this way because God himself is the only one who can do this. Also, how do you expect Catholics to follow the word of God and attend mass every Sunday when if you do so, you will be disciplined in a way you do not deserve to be. We are living in a free country, we have the right and freedom to think for ourselves and have our own beliefs. No leader of any kind, may he be a priest in a Catholic Church, can tell us to think otherwise just because we do not have the same beliefs as he does.

Source: http://www.pinoytumblr.com/post/4748709181/priest-tells-rh-bill-supporters-to-leave-mass

A Blogger's Take: A Test of Christianity (June 22, 2011)

While looking for other blog entries by bloggers regarding the issue of the Reproductive Health Bill, I came across this one entry that among all the ones I read probably struck me the most. I cannot add anymore to this for it speaks for itself. I wanted to put this in here so that it will affect other Filipinos the way it affected me. It is quite lengthy but I hope you find the time to read it all:

“I was born in a Catholic family and studied all my life at catholic schools and college. But by catholic standards, I am one of the worst Christians. I believe in God but I don’t subscribe to the idiocy and universal uptightness, short-sightedness of the narrow minded Roman catholic church. Neither do I support the delusion of grandeur of other christian sects like the Iglesia ni Cristo, El Shaddai and Ang Dating Daan or the schizophrenic christianity of Apollo Quiboloy. They fool their followers into believing that God has entrusted them to save human race or in the case of Quiboloy, he claims that he is the APPOINTED son of God. Now that is revolting. I’m never a fan of commercialized churches. Even here in England, whenever I hear the holy mass, collection of donations in form of cash is done three times in a span of an hour. I know somebody who never missed the Sunday holy mass but shows so little holiness the rest of the week.

How christian are we? If we never miss a Sunday mass, or if we give monthly tithes to our church, or if we pray the rosary everyday and do not eat dinuguan or meat during holy week, does that make you or me a good Christian?

There is no true religion. Christianity can not be more true than Hinduism or Shintoism. It’s laughable to see how Ang Dating Daan and Iglesia ni Cristo fight each other and how they try to destroy each other is beyond description. It’s revolting to see El Shaddai and JIL evolve into political force when now, sons of the leaders of these flock are both members of the Philippine Congress.

The Philippines always prided itself in being the biggest Christian nation is Asia. So what? The problem is that many of us are Christian in form but not in substance. Many are Christian in rituals but unchristian in practice. For example, the CBCP has denounced the current Philippine president for supporting the Reproductive Health bill that aims to support unborn children and protect the women and mothers. The powerful clerics even issued a threat that they might force to excommunicate the current president. But during the last decade, never did the church issue a threat of excommunication against Gloria Arroyo whose evil deeds can rival only that of Marcos’. Why is the church so enraged by the support of the president in Reproductive Health but did not exhibit the same passion and anger when Gloria Arroyo, the evil incarnate, stole the election of 2004?

Yes, we are Christians. We do not eat meat during holy week but gossip about other person’s lives and at times, we say nasty things about them. Yes, you do not eat dinuguan but you do not give the best possible care for your patients. Yes, you always attend your “samba” and “simba” but all you care for is what gadget will you buy next.

Ah yes. We are christians.

You’re a priest for God’s sake, but you ask people to leave the church and stop attending the holy mass if they support the RH bill. You’re an archbishop but you say that it’s fine to cheat during elections because everyone does it anyway. You claim to be the true Church of God, but how you try to single out and destroy the other christian group to the point that you have a TV programme on Net25 whose aim is just that is beyond comprehension. You watch Willie Revillame and sees nothing wrong in how he manipulates and exploit some contestants in order for them to win money.

Simba ka ng simba pero diring-diri ka naman sa mga batang pulubi na humihingi ng piso. Ayaw na ayaw mo naman na may kakatok sa kotse mo na mga bata para manlimos. Kristiyano ka nga, minumura mo naman ang biyenan mo. Saulo mo ang rosaryo pero galit na galit ka naman sa kapit bahay mo na malakas magpatugtog. This is not an attack to Christianity but this is indeed an attack to the hypocrisy of our actions against our beliefs. You cannot preach one thing and then do the opposite.

Ah, christians.”

Source: http://www.pinoytumblr.com/post/4951296489/ah-those-some-christians-by-jr-castillo

A Blogger's Take: UST Prof Gives Plus Points to Anti-RH Bill (June 21, 2011)

One of the target audiences of the Reproductive Health Bill is the Filipino youth of today. Most of the provisions stated within the RH Bill are aimed on the Filipino youth for the future of the country rests upon their shoulders. Unfortunately, these Filipino youth who are destined to be our country’s future are uninformed of the many things happening in our country and society right now. There are not enough means in the country to inform all these Filipino youth and that is a sad thing to think about. How can these Filipino youth be our country’s future if they are uninformed of the things they should know about?

With the passing of the RH Bill into a law, the Filipino youth will be given a chance to have sex education as part of their curriculum in school. One of the growing problems in the country right now is unwanted teenage pregnancies. When teenagers become parents at such a young age, they have lost all their lives ahead of them. The things they want to do and want to become may not be possible anymore because they practically became instant adults when they became young parents. I am not saying that getting pregnant at a young age is a bad thing, it is just that it is better to have a baby at the right age and time so that you will be prepared and capable of raising a child and your child will have a better future. Most teenagers engage in sexual acts because they do not know the repercussions this might cause. If they are taught about it in school, there is a better chance that they will wait for the right time to do such act.

But one professor in UST thinks otherwise. He is against the RH Bill and wants his students to have the same belief. But his method of doing so is absurd. He is so desperate for the RH Bill to not be passed into a law that he told his students he will plus points to those who will post anti-RH Bill comments on a certain Facebook page. As one blogger reports:

“He used to lead his students in street rallies on social issues. Now University of Santo Tomas (UST) theology professor Aguedo Florence Jalin Jr. is mobilizing his wards online, giving them bonus points for posting anti-RH comments on the Facebook page of the pro-RH Akbayan party-list group, which denounced the practice as urging the youth to “mimic the positions of authority figures.”

Jalin said the extra credit offered to students were prompted by reports that the Reproductive Health (RH) bill was close to being passed in the House of Representatives.

According to the Professor Jalin, there is nothing wrong with his instructions to his students, saying Akbayan’s Facebook page was an open space. “They have a line there that says comments and opinions are welcome. So that’s what we did,” he said.

“I call it an online parliamentary,” Jalin added.”

I find this particular act of this professor absurd for he should not manipulate his students this way. We are living in a democratic country, its citizens should have the freewill to make decisions for him or herself.

Source: http://www.pinoytumblr.com/post/3433840929/ust-prof-gives-students-points-for-anti-rh-stand

A Blogger's Take: The Spread of AIDS/HIV in the Philippines (June 20, 2011)

When the Reproductive Health Bill was penned, one of the reasons its authors had in mind why they wanted it to be passed into a law is to prevent the spreading of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and HIV here in the Philippines. In other places around the world, these kinds of diseases have already spread massively and as of now they do not have any methods on how to stop it completely or just stop it in the meantime before someone can find a cure for it. In the country right now, sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and HIV are starting to become a major problem of out society. Many people have already been affected by these diseases and the government is fearing that it might also spread massively around the country. That is why in the RH Bill, the use of contraceptives such as condoms in highly recommended for it not only prevent unwanted pregnancies but it can also prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases here in the Philippines. Because there is still no cure discovered for these kinds of diseases, a prevention of it is the best solution at the meantime.

In a blog entry posted by Mark Ghosn of blah.ph, he presented how sexually transmitted diseases are becoming widespread in the Philippines. He posted the following:

“In celebration of World Aids Day, we present to you the latest news and facts about HIV/AIDS in the Philippines and around the world, that we believe should be brought up to everyone’s attention.

15,000 - The estimated number of  people that’s going to have AIDS in the Philippines if not prevented before the current administration ends.

83% of infections in Russia and China were caused by sharing of drug taking equipment. This is the leading cause of HIV infection in the said countries.

89% of infections in the Philippines were transmitted through sexual intercourse. This is the leading cause of HIV infection in the country.

20-29 Years Old  -  Age of people with most number of HIV infection in the Philippines. In 2009, report showed that most of these people work in the Call Center Industry. 

28% of young Filipinos believes that AIDS is curable. 

The antiretroviral viral drugs do not cure people of HIV infection or AIDS.They stop viral replication and delay the development of AIDS.

73% of young Filipinos believed that they had no chance of contracting HIV.

If you want to know how you can help in the stop of HIV/AIDS. Visit any of the websites below or do your part by sharing this post to your friends.

http://www.pnac.org/www.pnac.org
http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/www.worldaidscampaign.org
http://www.worldaidsday.org/www.worldaidsday.org”

When I read this post, all I wished was for a lot of Filipinos, men and women alike, could read this and understand it. A lot of Filipinos unfortunately were not properly educated so when it comes to matters like this, there are a lot of misconceptions. These misconceptions, as we all know, can probably lead into something bad. The information posted above should be made known to many so that it will open everyone’s eyes that a problem this big is slowly taking over our society. It should also be an eye-opener for everyone to realize that the RH Bill is what we need to prevent something like this from happening.

Source: http://www.pinoytumblr.com/post/2053504160/6-figures-about-hiv-aids-in-the-philippines-that-you

The Purple Ribbon Campaign (June 17, 2011)

In every part of the world, our country in particular, usually launches massive campaigns regarding whatever advocacy people are fighting for. These campaigns may be for big or small causes, nevertheless, it is a way for people who are fighting for the same advocacy to come together and fights for their beliefs in that particular advocacy. These campaigns usually produce symbols and/or colors that will represent that particular advocacy and for people to better recognize that that campaign is for a certain advocacy.

Last May, the supporters of the Reproductive Health Bill, led by former President Fidel V. Ramos and Broadway star Lea Salonga, launched the Day of the Purple Ribbon for Reproductive Health. The campaign, better known as simply the Purple Ribbon, became the biggest gathering of politicians, celebrities, and other prominent personalities who support the passing of the RH Bill into a law. For it was lead by former President Fidel V. Ramos, he spoke in behalf of his fellow supporters. Part of his speech was to advocate for current President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to prioritize the RH Bill. He said, "Mr. President, with due respect, for you to do the right thing, you should now certify the RH bill as urgent." (GMA News). Another avid and prominent supporter, Lea Salonga also made a speech saying, "I want people [to be] armed with as much information as possible... to decide for themselves what is best for them as couples. That's what I'm hoping for." (GMA News). Lea Salonga actually referred to herself as an ambassadress of reproductive health by claiming that the RH Bill is essential for the welfare of all women around the country. Other celebrities who were also present during the said event were Arnel Ignacio, Tuesday Vargas, Leah Navarro, Noel Cabangon, Jim Paredes, and Jett Pangan. Other prominent figures who came to the event were Representatives Edcel Lagman and Janet Garin, co-authors of the RH Bill, Esperanza Cabral, Enrique Ona, and Risa Hontiveros. Noel Cabangon even performed his song “Ako’y Mabuting Pilipino”, changing some of its lines with some RH Bill-related ones. Carlos Celdran, probably considered to be one of the most infamous supporters of the RH Bill also came and supported the event but chose to stay quiet this time. If you can remember, Carlos Celdran was that man who attended a mass in Manila Cathedral dressed up as Jose Rizal then started shouting “Damaso! Damaso!” to the priests for the Catholic Church is against the RH Bill.

This advocates of this campaign produced stickers that literally has the design of a purple ribbon. These stickers were to be distributed to Filipinos all over and can be placed in their homes, cars, or wherever they want it placed. Organizations such as Zone One Tond Organization (ZOTO) and Catholics for RH (C4RH) went around Manila distributing stickers in each of the houses they pass by while also explaining the benefits of the RH Bill. According to these supporters, they go house-to-house to explain to people what the RH Bill is really about and clarify any misconceptions these people have regarding the bill.

Prominent Supporters of the RH Bill: Jim Paredes (June 16, 2011)

To continue my streak of writing about prominent supporters of the Reproductive Health Bill, my next blog entry would be about another supporter that I was surprised to hear who is pro RH Bill. This person is also not very vocal about his support, but his support will definitely make an impact. Like what I said in my previous blog entry, I am happy that there are supporters of the RH Bill coming from different backgrounds. In my previous blog entries, I have discussed a supporter coming from the entertainment industry, Broadway to be exact, and another coming from the news and public affairs industry. The next supporter I’ll be discussing is someone coming again from the entertainment industry, but this time in music. His name is Jim Paredes.

Born on August 31, 1951, Jaime Ramon “Jim” Paredes is one of the extraordinary artists in the Philippines. He’s a musician, producer, and writer, among others. You name it, he is it. He is probably most famous for being part of one of the greatest musical group in the country, the Apo Hiking Society. A trio composed of Jim Paredes, Danny Javier, and Boboy Garovillo. As a writer, Jim Paredes’ most famous solo work was the 1986 song Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo. The song was recorded by a total of 15 Filipino artists and became the anthem of the 1986 People Power Revolution.

Jim Paredes may not be very vocal about his support of the RH Bill, but he always take about the issue on his Twitter page. In one of his tweets, the one that struck me the most, he said, “Bishops called pro-RH names such as ‘terrorists’. But it is bishops who are giving wrong misleading info on RH. Are they ‘errorists’?” This particular tweet of his struck me the most for it was very similar to what I think the Catholic Church is doing to the RH Bill. They call the supporters of the RH Bill “terrorists” because we attack the morals and principles the Catholic Church have taught us all these years. But can’t they also be called “terrorists” for attacking what we believe in? Also, I agree with what Jim Paredes said about how the bishops are being “errorists”. They try to manipulate what the RH Bill really is all about by omitting some important facts that will make the RH Bill look bad to people.

This is my main concern with the Catholic Church’s involvement of the RH Bill. They try so hard for the RH Bill to not be passed into a law that they interpret the contents of the RH Bill in a really wrong way so that it will look like it is a bill that is anti-life when in fact it is not. The see the RH Bill in a negative way already without actually reading it first intently and understanding it the way it should really be understood. This is what I think provoked Jim Paredes to call them “errorists”. 

Prominent Supporters of the RH Bill: Ces Oreña-Drilon (June 15, 2011)

While doing my research on the prominent supporters of the Reproductive Health Bill in the country, I was surprised to find out that there are actually a number of them. I only know some of them who are really vocal about their support towards the RH Bill, so I was really surprised to find out there are actually more of them who may not be so vocal about their support but still gives it their all when it comes to the topic of the RH Bill. In my third blog entry for the week, I would like to discuss next one of the outstanding media personality we have in the country right now, Ces Oreña-Drilon.

Born on July 08, 1961, Cecilia Victoria Oreña-Drilon, is an award winning broadcast journalist here in the Philippines. Having graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Arts major in Communication Research from the University of the Philippines Diliman, she joined ABS-CBN’s News and Current Affairs section in 1989. Up to this day, she is still working in the same network as one of their top broadcast journalists, with numerous news and public affairs program connected to her name. With her exemplary work in the field of media, she was given not just any Golden Dove Award in any category by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, but the highest credit namely the Ka Doroy Broadcaster of the Year during the 19^th KBP Golden Dove Awards held last November 25, 2010. Ces Oreña-Drilon is married to Rock Drilon, a painter, and they have four children together.

Ces Oreña-Drilon began her career in ABS-CBN when she covered the arrest of Col. Gregorio Honasan for another network, which in turn captured ABS-CBN’s attention. Her first job was a correspondent to the Philippine Senate. She then worked again as a correspondent in another show from the same network, The World Tonight. In her stay in ABS-CBN, Ces Oreña-Drilon has appeared on the following news and public affairs programs: Pipol, The Correspondents, ABS-CBN Insider, Bandila, and TV Patrol (alternate anchor). In 2007, however, Ces Oreña-Drilon, together with other Filipino journalists, covered the Manila Peninsula rebellion and was detained by the Philippine Military because they allegedly broke protocols.

In June 2008, another unfortunate event happened to Ces Oreña-Drilon because of her job. The Abu Sayyaf held her hostage for ransom for nine days with her two cameramen. Ces Oreña-Drilon’s team was invited in Sulu for a talk. It was there that they were abducted and the Abu Sayyaf militants asked for P10 million to P30 million for their safe return.

As mentioned, I was really surprised by the number of prominent personalities who support the RH Bill, Ces Oreña-Drilon being one of them. I guess I was pretty much surprised by the fact that in her line of work, she is really not the one to support these kinds of issues. As a key figure in Philippine media, and as a woman, her support of the RH Bill can mean a lot to other Filipinos in the country, especially the women.

Prominent Supporters of the RH Bill: Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel (June 14, 2011)

As my second blog post for the week, you might recognize that this week’s theme is prominent supporters of the Reproductive Health Bill. I wanted to do a week-long post about these supporters because I personally look up to them. This is for the reason that no matter how people constantly criticize them, they never stopped fighting for that they believe in and they still continue to support the passing of the RH Bill into a law. These supporters come from different backgrounds, but they all come together to achieve one goal towards the RH Bill. For today’s blog entry, I would like to discuss one of the more famous supporter of the RH Bill, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel.

Born on February 24, 1966, Ana Theresia Hontiveros is a Filipino politician, activist, and journalist. As a politician and activist, Risa Hontiveros is currently serving her second term as the party-list representative of the Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party. She has been serving the House of Representatives since 2004. As a journalist, Risa Hontiveros has served the industry for ten years. Because of her contributions to the world of media, she is a proud recipient of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas’ (KBP) Golden Dove Award for Best Female Newscaster. Her sister, Pia Hontiveros, is also and outstanding journalist. As the saying goes, “it runs in the family.” She is married to Francisco Baraquel Jr. (deceased), and they had four children together. Risa Hontiveros, though a well-know politician and journalist, never really started in that field. She used to be a stage performer when she was still little, having worked with Lea Salonga, another supporter of the RH Bill, in a Philippine loca production of the Sound of Music. They both played the roles of one of the Von Trapp children.

As a known feminist in the Philippines, Risa Hontiveros, among her other works, has been always known to fight for women rights in the country. She was always featured in news and television reports for she is always seen fighting and protesting along with other groups that fight for women rights. So when the RH Bill came about, she was one of the first famous people to support this bill. For her, RH Bill is pro-chance. But Risa Hontiveros became even more popular with her support of the RH Bill when she was mentioned in that infamous rant of a priest in a Catholic Church in Baguio City. In that ill-famed tirade by that priest, he extended his usual mass by “preaching” the people why the RH Bill is wrong and bad. He had this never-ending speech, and Risa Hontiveros was mentioned out of the blue just because she supports the RH Bill, while that priest was against it. This tirade resulted to a lot of Church-goers to walk out, especially those who support the RH Bill. Risa Hontiveros is just one of the many people who support the RH Bill, but why does this particular priest attacking her because of her views?

Prominent Supporters of the RH Bill: Lea Salonga (June 13, 2011)

In my last blog entry, I discussed about the issue of banning of selling of contraceptives in the community of Ayala Alabang. This happened because of the recent headlines the Reproductive Health Bill is making. As mentioned on that previous blog, many were upset by this decision of the leaders of the homeowner’s association and many of them took their anger to the streets. Members of the community joined this protest, including prominent members like celebrities and the like. One of those members who are protesting against this decision of the leaders of the homeowner’s association is media personality Lea Salonga.

Lea Salonga is an award-winning Filipino Broadway performer who is one of the known supporters of the RH Bill. Born on February 22, 1971, Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga was destined to be a star in her own right. At the age of seven, Lea made her debut in Repertory Philippines’ 1978 musical, The King and I. Because of her notable performance in that production, she went on to star in more productions of Repertory Philippines’ remakes of some of the most famous Broadway classics. By the age of ten, Lea was able to record her very first solo album. As a young child star, Lea had her own musical television show and also starred in some television shows and movies as well. Her biggest break though came in 1989, when she got the role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. Her remarkable performance in Miss Saigon when it moved to Broadway in 1991 earned her the most prestigious Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, among others. After her stint in Miss Saigon, Lea continued to star in another Broadway classic, Les Misérables, playing the role of Éponine. She also lend her voice to Disney, singing A Whole New World in the Disney Classic Aladdin. Back here in the Philippines, Lea recorded number more albums and starred in a few movies. On January 10, 2004, Lea married Robert Charles Chien. Their daughter, Nicole Beverly, was born on May 16, 2006.

When the news of the RH Bill made headlines all over the country, Lea Salonga was one of the few celebrities who voiced out their support of the said bill. Being a resident of Ayala Alabang, Lea joined her fellow community members in protesting against the leaders of the homeowner’s association when they declared a ban on selling of contraceptives within their community grounds. Since she is a supporter of the RH Bill, Lea protested that this decision of the leaders of the homeowner’s association could be considered an attack towards them who support the RH Bill. It was an attack for they live in a free and democratic country but this decision to ban the selling of the contraceptives is going against the rights of the people living in such country. The leaders of the homeowner’s association in Ayala Alabang are not in a position to impose regulations like this. They may not be in support of the RH Bill, but this move of theirs is just ridiculous.

The Banning of Contraceptives in Ayala Alabang (June 10, 2011)

A couple of months ago, the community in the private village of Ayala Alabang made headlines when it suddenly banned the selling of contraceptives within their community. The decision for this came when the leaders of their homeowner’s association spoke about how they are against the Reproductive Health Bill. This angered a lot of people in their community, especially those who are actual supporters of the RH Bill. It also sparked an outcry not only from the members of their community, but also to other people outside of Ayala Alabang who are in support of the RH Bill. The reason for their outcry is that they were not given a chance to have a say on this. The leaders of the homeowner’s association made this decision to ban contraceptives in their community without even consulting the members of their community, whether they be pro or against the RH Bill.

The outcries of these community members caused them to take their anger to the streets and protest against the leaders of their homeowner’s association. They have cause raucous and chaos within their village. They have caused traffic within their village and caused people to stop and listen to their protests. Thus, making more people aware of the issue happening in their community. This uproar even cause notable personalities, who are pro RH Bill and are living in Ayala Alabang, join their fellow community members that they share the same sentiments with. For these people who are pro RH Bill, this decision made by the leaders of the homeowner’s association is a form of discrimination against them who are in support of the RH Bill. It is a form of discrimination for they were not able to have a say on this decision just because they do not share the same view as the leaders of the homeowner’s association regarding the issue of the RH Bill.

When I first heard about this news, the first thought that came to my mind was that the leaders of the homeowner’s association were being unfair. Just because they are in a position to enforce these kinds of regulations, does not mean they can just enforce it without consulting the members of their community. They made a decision without thinking about what their fellow community members may think about banning the selling of contraceptives in their community. This just shows that they do not really trust their fellow community members. Just because they have a different view of the RH Bill from some of their fellow community members does not mean they can impose regulations that would be in favor of their views and not that of the community members’.

As a fellow supporter of the RH Bill, I was slightly offended of this news about the action of the leaders of the homeowner’s association of Ayala Alabang. They do not have any rights to pull a stunt like banning the selling of contraceptives just because it supports their view of the RH Bill. They should be nonpartisan when it comes to issue/s like this and always consult the members of their community regarding their opinion/s whether it be different from theirs or not.

President Noynoy Aquino's Stand on the RH Bill (June 09, 2011

When the RH Bill came out, of course many awaited the stand of a certain person. The stand on the issue of President Noynoy Aquino is the one I am talking about. Being the head of our country, many would like to know his say on this particular bill. His stand: pro RH Bill.

Obviously, there were mixed reactions when President Aquino said that he supports the RH Bill. Supporter of the bill were happy, but those against the bill, like the Catholic Church were enraged. This prompted President Aquino to clarify his stand on the issue of the reproductive health bill. According to his spokesperson, President Aquino supports the fact that the RH Bill is about family planning, but does not necessarily mean he supports the methods that go along with it as stated in the RH Bill. President Aquino will not say what methods he supports and does not, but rather supports whatever decision a family makes in their family planning. He said that whatever decision Filipino couples make, he and the government will support it in every way they can.

The Catholic Church, as mentioned, was enraged with this announcement by President Aquino. They said that the President should be more like his mother who listened to the Catholic Church when it comes to the issue of family planning. My opinion on this is that people, especially the Catholic Church, should not always compare President Aquino with his mother, the late Former President Cory Aquino. President Noynoy Aquino is a different person, leading at a different time, so the decisions he makes or will make should keep up with the modern times. Besides, he is a man for himself, completely different from his mother, so he should have the right to think for himself and for the betterment of the country. If they keep on comparing him with his mother, telling him he should lead the way his mother did, then how can he make a name as a leader for himself?  If he continues to live and lead behind the shadow of his mother, he would not make a difference for himself and for the country. I also found it very funny and ridiculous that the Catholic Church threatened to excommunicate President Aquino for supporting the RH Bill. For me, the Catholic Church was not thinking straight when they said this. I mean, why would they excommunicate the leader of a country whose majority of its citizens are composed of Catholics? Would not that make our country look silly? A Catholic country with an excommunicated President would be a laughing stock all over the world. By making this threat to President Aquino, the Catholic Church now looked really desperate in stopping the enactment of the RH Bill into a law. They would do anything, going as far as threatening to excommunicate the President of the Philippines just because he supports the RH Bill. I personally applaud President Aquino for making this stand, not just because I support the RH Bill, but because he made a stand based on what he thinks is good for the country without being afraid of any threats made against him for supporting the RH Bill.

The Stand of the Catholic Church on the RH Bill (June 08, 2011)

When the news broke out about the RH bill being passed in the Philippine senate and congress, one sector was the first to express their outcry against this. The Catholic Church is the biggest and most vocal opponent of the Reproductive Health Bill. The Catholic Church is against a lot of things in the government, but this one may possibly be the biggest issue they are against with. The Philippines being a country dominated by Catholics, the Church’s protest regarding the RH Bill is making headlines all over. In this post, I will try as hard as I can to enumerate and discuss some reasons why the Catholic Church is greatly against the turning of the Reproductive Health Bill into a law.

First of all, the main reason why the Catholic Church is against the RH Bill is because it is anti-life. The Catholic Church even dubbed the RH Bill as an Anti-life Bill. When the RH Bill was first introduced, one of their reasons for its creation is to help control and eventually alleviate the country’s problem of overpopulation. The Catholic Church, however, thinks that this reason is a complete and utter lie. According to them, the government should not use this, overpopulation, as an excuse to cover up for the fact that the reason why our country is actually poor is because of the government’s never ending corruption.

Another reason why the Catholic Church is against this bill is because it is trying to hide the fact that if this were passed into a law, it will attack the Filipinos’ religious beliefs, morals, and family values. When it was presented to the Philippine House of Representatives, it had the description of a health bill and at the same time an antipoverty bill. According to the Church it is neither. This is because the title of the bill has the word health on it. If the bill proposes the use of contraceptives, the Church argues then that it does not promote health in any way. The Church enumerated a number of side effects that will greatly affect a person’s health in a negative way when he or she uses a contraceptive.

The Church is also against the RH Bill because according to them, it promotes pre-marital sex among Filipinos, especially the youth. It is in the Catholic Church’s teachings that sexual intercourse should only be between to people bounded by the sanctity of marriage. If the RH Bill becomes a law, then a lot of Filipinos will go against this particular teaching of the Catholic Church.

There are a lot more other reasons why the Catholic Church is against the RH Bill but it will not fit in a single blog entry. I personally, support the RH Bill and though I agree with some of the points presented by the Church, I still think that some of their reasons are just absurd.  The RH Bill does not necessarily promote abortion but that is the way the Church is presenting it. 

Senators sign the RH Bill (June 07, 2011)

Last June 07, 2010, a group of Philippine Senators signed an approval regarding the Reproductive Health bill about properly informing Filipinos of the use of contraceptives and other methods in family planning. There were twenty senators, with two nonconforming opinions, who signed the said approval.

Among those who signed were Senators Pia Cayetano, Franklin Drilon, Edgardo Angara, Gregorio Honasan, Teofisto Guingonna III, Ferdinand Marcos, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Sonny Antonio Trillanes IV, and Serge Osmena, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Lito Lapid, Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Joker Arroyo, Ralph Recto, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Alan Cayetano, and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada. The two nonconformists were Senators Tito Sotto and Alan Cayetano, who heads the Senate committees on health and youth. Though they signed the approval, eight of these Senators signed with hesitation. They were Franklin Drilon, Gringo Honasan, Antonio Trillanes, Lito Lapid, Chiz Escudero, Miguel Zubiri, Bong Revilla, and Ralph Recto. Only 12 signatures are needed for the bill to be passed on to the next reading.

For me personally, I am happy with the progress the RH Bill is making. The signing of these twenty senators is a next step for the RH Bill finally becoming a law. There is still quite a long process to go, but at least it is getting there. I really believe that if the RH Bill becomes a law, it will mean a great development for the Philippines. It might not completely resolve the problem of overpopulation in the country, but it will definitely help in slowly alleviating it that it will not totally be a problem for the country.

Even though twenty senators already signed an approval for the RH Bill, I just hope that more people outside the senate, in the government, the private sectors, and the rest of the country, could think the way these senators do and also be in support of the RH Bill. They should see this bill as, for now, the best way to solve or alleviate the problem of overpopulation in our country.

Besides signing the approval, I hope that these senators who I suppose support the RH Bill, should share to everyone their stand on this and why they support it. I think that a lot of Filipinos are undecided on this matter and are just waiting for someone who has a high authority to speak on the subject of the RH Bill because they would want to hear it from someone who has great knowledge on it. If they say their stand, then a lot of Filipinos around the country would probably gain more knowledge on the RH Bill and will be rational on their decision on whether to support it or not. These senators, if they believe that the RH Bill can help alleviate the problem of overpopulation in our country, should help convince more people that the passing of the RH Bill into the law is the right way to go. They are in a better position to convince those undecided Filipinos and if I were them, I would definitely help in making up their minds to support the RH Bill. 

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and The Reproductive Health Act (June 06, 2011)

Currently in the Philippines, two reproductive health bills are being passed in the congress. One is by Hon. Edcel Lagman, House Bill No. 4244, An Act for Providing a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and for Other Purposes. The other is by the infamous Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, which is Senate Bill No. 2378, An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population and Development. These two bills have the same goal and agenda but can be considered completely different from each other. In my opinion, these are bills that are worth passing into law.

Since I have previously discussed one of the proponents and avid supporter of RH Bill, let me talk about yet another proponent and supporter of another RH Bill, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. She is probably one of the most famous politicians in the history of the Philippines because of her wit, her conviction, and above all, her take no prisoner attitude in and out of the senate halls. Because of this, she is considered to be the greatest Philippine female senator of her time. With that, I would like to give a little background about her and how she ended up supporting and creating an RH Bill.

Miriam was born in 1945 in Iloilo City to Benjamin, a district trial judge, and Dimpna, who was a dean in college. Benjamin and Dimpna had 7 children together, with Miriam being the eldest. Because of her success as a politician, she helped most of her siblings go through college. Miriam graduated valedictorian both in grade school and high school. She received numerous awards in high school especially with her academics and extra-curricular activities. At a young age, she already proved to be one day imminent in her field. She then studied college at the University of the Philippines Diliman, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws, where she was cum laude. In all her years in UPD, she received a number of awards no female has ever done in that university. Her life after this was so festooned that it will not fit in a single blog entry. For the meantime, I will skip that and jump right into her creation of the RH Bill.

On August 11, 2010, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a Reproductive Health Act, also known as 15^th Congress-Senate Bill No. 2378. As previously mentioned, it is An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population on Development. For it to be differentiated from the RH Bill, its shorter title is The Reproductive Health Act. This act also differs from the RH Bill for it focuses more on how to control the country’s population and how that will help in our country’s development since it is a known fact that overpopulation is one of the reasons why the Philippines is not fully developing. If given a chance in my future blog entries, I would like to take time to discuss the major similarities and differences of the RH Bill and the RH Act.

Sex Education (June 03, 2011)

Another provision written inside the RH Bill is to add another curriculum to grade 5 to high school students, which is sex education. They want for trained sex education teacher to teach these young people everything about sex. Though it should be taught in an age-appropriate manner that will be easily understood by these young students.

People who are pro RH Bill believe that by starting early to teach young people about the pros and cons of having sexual intercourse can open their eyes to the reality of it all. From their research, there is a growing number of young teenagers having unwanted pregnancies. The root cause of it all is that they are not fully informed of what having sexual intercourse may lead to. They are also uninformed that there are actually contraceptives out there that can prevent them from having unwanted pregnancies despite having sexual intercourse. The older women here in the Philippines are already having a hard time controlling their pregnancies and adding to the country’s overpopulation problem. Then here comes teenage girls adding more to that problem instead of being part of the solution that would help solve the problem of overpopulation in the Philippines.

On a more personal note, I personally know a lot of teenage girls my age who got pregnant this young. I never actually got a chance to talk to them but I believe that the reason they are in a position they are right now is because no one actually really taught them properly the results that may come about when they have sexual intercourse without the use of contraceptives. If they were taught starting at a young age then they would probably not get pregnant this young. I am not saying them having a baby is not a blessing, it is, it is just that having a baby while still in school is hard. Harder because they are still young. If the RH Bill is passed, then a lot of young teenagers all over the country will be properly informed of the pros and cons of having sexual intercourse with and without protection and that could probably prevent them from having unwanted pregnancies.

With what I just said, I am not implying that their parents have not taught them enough. But there are times and situations when whatever our parents taught us can fully help us. There are times when we need more than our parents’ teachings and guidance to help us get through whatever endeavor we are going through. I am guessing that for the parents, having sex education in their children’s schools can also greatly help them in teaching their child or children about sex. It would a child understand and learn more about something if their parents are not the only ones teaching them. Words of wisdom from another adult can help them have more views on something that will eventually help them in the future. With the passing of the RH Bill, the presence of sex education in schools will benefit the students in more ways than they ever anticipated.

The Contraceptives (June 02, 2011)

As we probably know by now, the main goal or aim of the RH Bill is to control the fast rising of population in the Philippines by means of family planning and the use of contraceptives in order to do so. When I first heard about this, the immediate thought that came to my mind was they will have a really hard time in informing the public about contraceptives because not a lot of people in the country, unfortunately, are familiar with these or worse never actually heard of it. They might just shrug off the idea because it is new to them instead of taking time to actually learn about it and how it will help them.

Besides the goal of controlling the population growth in the country, another reason why this bill is pushing for the use of contraceptives is to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as HIV and AIDS. These STDs are not yet very widespread in our country but it is a good idea to actually start preventing the spread of it already to lessen the number of people who will be affected by it. For other people, this may suggest that more people will go into premarital sex and go against the teaching of the Catholic Church. But this kind of situation has been happening for a long time and it is no secret to a lot of Filipinos, so the way I see it, it does not really change anything.

In this blog post, I would like to discuss and describe a couple of contraceptives suggested in the RH Bill. First off are birth control pills. By its basic definition, it is a set of pills needed to be taken at certain day and time. Its intake should always be on schedule for the pills to fully take effect. One slip off the schedule might actually cause unwanted pregnancy. This is probably one of the most popular birth control methods because it is easy to use but it can be quite expensive. Especially since you have to take it multiple times a week.

The second contraceptive is the intrauterine device, or IUD for short. It is an object places in the uterus of the woman to prevent pregnancy. One kind of IUD, the Copper IUD, is the one that prevents the travel of the sperm to an egg to join with them. The Copper IUD is designed to basically to stop any sperm inside the uterus into getting further inside the uterus and avoid joining with an egg that will eventually turn into an embryo, then into a baby.

These are just two contraceptives that are available in the country. There are others out there that can really help in controlling the pregnancy of a woman and avoiding unwanted pregnancies. It may go against a lot of morals in the Filipino culture, but we have to admit that by controlling pregnancies of a woman can greatly help in controlling the growing population of the country.

I Probably Not Have Said It (June 01, 2011)

I know I have already stated my personal view and opinion regarding the topic of RH Bill but I have a little more something to say before we move on. In the previous blog entry, I only mentioned why I am pro-RH Bill. In this entry however, I would like to state why I think more people should support the bill and why it should be passed as a law. From my perspective, a lot of people are either pro or against the RH Bill without actually fully understanding what it is really about. Some of them chose a side because that is what their friends or the people they know chose and some of them are truly siding with the Catholic Church. I hope that Filipinos, like me, would fully read and understand everything written in the RH Bill before they decide whether they are with it or against it.

From what you have probably gathered from my previous blog entry already, I am pro-RH Bill. I believe in the provisions written in it and I believe it will help alleviate overpopulation in the country. The many who are also pro-RH Bill believe in the same thing among others. As for those who are against it, they do not see this for they immediately think that by passing the RH Bill the people will commit abortion. That by using the contraceptives stated in the bill will mean and end to a life. My take on this is why will the use of contraceptive be an end to a life when the life of a child has not even started yet. I mean how can there be an end when there is no beginning to even begin with. This is what I mean when I said some people who are against the RH Bill are making these false accusations without even actually reading and understanding the RH Bill.

As everyone knows, the Catholic Church is the number one group that is against the RH Bill. The things I am about to say should not probably be out there but I felt a need to really say it. The Church is a very patriarchal community, with males obviously leading it. Males fill up all the top positions in this community and females are merely in the background. I know they are avid supporters of equality but where is equality in that? I guess what I am trying to say is by not passing the RH Bill, women do not actually have a choice to either bear a child or not.  No one wants abortion but by not using contraceptives to prevent the conception of a child mean that the woman will have no choice but to actually give birth to a child. From what I see, that is just all kinds of discrimination against women. Back to the Church being patriarchal, they [the male leaders of the church] will never experience child bearing like a woman does and so their decision is very biased and very one-sided. 

My Personal View on the RH Bill (May 31, 2011)

Before discussing more specifically the RH Bill, I would like to first voice out my opinion on the subject and my stand on it. It is very rare that I have this much opinion on a single bill being passed in the Congress, but there is something about the RH Bill that really struck me and made me support it. I know it is unusual for a teenager and a Catholic like me to support a bill like this that they say “opposes” the morals and teachings of the Church, but I do not think so. So here is my opinion, and I believe that I am not the only one who shares this belief.

When I first heard about the RH Bill, I immediately supported it for I believed it would help alleviate the ever-unsolvable problem of the Philippines, which is poverty. Over the years since overpopulation became a problem of the country, many have tried to create solutions that unfortunately failed or did not take flight. So years and years have passed that instead of it slowly being solved, it just actually gets worse as the day goes by. With the creation of the RH Bill, though it will not totally solve the problem of overpopulation, I believe that it will greatly help in lessening the growing number of Filipinos in the country.

Because of some of the provision in the bill, the Catholic Church is the number one sector in the country that greatly opposes it. According to them, the bill and everything stated within it defies the laws and morals of the Church. Since the vast majority of people living in the Philippines are Catholic, we should not support this kind of bill. So much so that the Church herself even threatened to excommunicate anyone who supports the RH Bill, which I personally think is absurd.

The Catholic Church is really against the RH Bill because they say it is not in line with their teachings. To give an example, they say that this bill will lead to Filipinos to committing abortion. From what I read and understood of the bill, it was never stated there that the methods they suggested can lead to abortion nor did the word abortion ever appear in the bill itself. The way I see it, the bishops representing the Catholic Church have never actually read the bill as a whole because they seem to accuse the bill of things that were clearly not mentioned in part of the bill. Like what I said in my previous post, I am a devout Catholic but the way these bishops are acting against the bill makes me embarrassed for them. Their actions and words make them seem like their desperate for this bill to not be passed and it is making them look foolish. My suggestion to them, read and understand fully first the provisions stated within the RH Bill before they make any comments against it that would make them seem idiotic.