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.