Noynoy’s Choice

Today, Noynoy made a choice. It was a choice between filling the shoes of his mother and becoming his own man. It was a choice between theocracy and democracy. A choice between the beliefs of 133 Catholic bishops and the needs of 92 million citizens.

Today, Noynoy made the right choice:

The Philippine government will provide contraceptives to poor couples who request it despite strong opposition from the dominant Roman Catholic church, President Benigno Aquino said Monday.

Speaking in a satellite television interview from the United States where he is on a seven-day visit, Aquino stressed that the number of children a couple had was a matter of personal choice.

“The government is obligated to inform everybody of their responsibilities and their choices. At the end of the day, government might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method,” he said.

“I believe the couple will be in the best position to determine what is best for the family, how to space (the births), what methods they can rely on and so forth.”

“They face the responsibility for the children that they bring in and government is willing to assist them.”

But the CBCP thinks he made the wrong choice. Or rather, they prefer he didn’t make it himself:

“I won’t conceal the fact that we are hurt… we were hoping that he will be like his mother.”

~ Fr. Melvin Castro of the CBCP’s Commission on Family and Life

They’re also threatening to “do everything just to block the measure even if it means going back to the streets again in protest.” Even if it means robbing Filipinos of their right to choose. Even if for millions of them, it may be a choice between life and death.

It remains to be seen whether Noynoy bows to these bishops or has the courage of his convictions. But if he does follow through, he will be giving Filipinos something he had today: the power to choose for oneself — and the courage to choose correctly.

Fr. Melvin Castro of the CBCP’s Commission on Family and Life

27 comments

  1. I really hope this contraception policies will happen. Seriously! How else do you expect to help these people? And the church BELIEVES that "natural contraception" is a way to go. PLEASE – WHY don't you church leaders try living in the dire situations many of these families live in and see how it is to live in squalor in poverty. ABOUT DAMN time the choice is out there – it's just up to the people to utilize the resources – having the choice is just the start.

  2. The RCC is hurt! Oh snap!

    Somebody call the…
    http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:lHolHG0j4-w-qM

    Seriously, Fr. Castro. Do you know who else is hurt? The thousands of women who have to suffer for your organization's railroading of every attempt to improve their lives.
    http://reproductiverights.org/en/forsakenlives

    Now please Mr. Castro, kindly shut the fuck up – there are more than enough people in RP who are genuinely hurting – and aren't just being self-important dicks – and need policies like this implemented.

  3. It's good to know that PNoy can make decisions on his own. I'll be looking forward to the protests… On tv that is. I'm not going anywhere near it. :/

  4. Finally!

    Let's be happy that someone has the balls to stand up to the CBCP. They've been controlling and criticizing and manipulating the government for too long that our officials base their platforms on whether they would lose the vote of the Catholic population or not. The separation between the church & state is long overdue. I hope that PNoy follows through with this.

  5. the Philippines is overpopulated and the government cannot serve too many people with little resources. Population control is long overdue.

  6. this is just a full of shit in the hands of noynoy adminstration…nothing new here even the past administration and the new opposition is gearing to promote family planning and contraceptive in the past. IT WAS GIBO's IDEA that PHILIPPINE have to start family planning because of over population that the government cannot deal in terms of economics and food production….

    • And since it was Gibo's idea, that means we have nothing to rejoice about this recent statement from Noynoy even if it actually gets implemented, right? After all, the idea is way more important than the implementation, and it's the one who came up with the idea who should get the credit and not the one who puts it into reality, right?

      • ayt! 🙂 any biases against noynoy 's admin is not helping the country either, especially if such bias is rooted on the preference for another candidate who has already lost in an election that has already been concluded. 🙂

    • Guess what?

      I don't give rat's ass if the president who came up with the idea was GMA, Gibo, or even Manny-fucking Villar. The point is that sombody is finally going through the motions of putting it into effect, and isn't just some talking point being propped up during election debates.

    • wasn't it ferdinand marcos' idea to promote family planning during martial law which was spearheaded globally by the United Nations Population Fund in the late 60s. the medical and technological knowhow were all propagated by the UN at that time. kaya kahit sino pa man presidente ngayon or sa darating pa sa future basta kaya nya ipaglaban ang family planning ay ok po sa akin yan.

  7. My vote was not wasted on the Philippines most eligible bachelor! Pogi points from me to you, P-noy! lol. Seriously though, this took so long in coming. I remember in the not so distant past, when you had DOH health centers in an urban city like Manila (imagine!) hiding/dispensing condoms under the table to housewives because politicians like then-mayor Lim was staunchly against the use of contraceptives. As an HR professional, I remember asking for permission from management to attend a free, all expenses paid training given by USAID (they were pulling out their funds from the Philippines & were banking on one last attempt by appealing & marketing to HR professionals in private firms nation-wide to do their part in implementing a family planning program within their respective companies). My proposal to attend was blown to bits (refused!) as a top senior manager of the company I was working with (a multinational firm at that) was a staunch Catholic & did not support RH. When there were so many cases of unplanned pregnancies & no idea of family planning whatsoever amongst our employees! I mean really! So its refreshing to finally see something like this!

  8. This is gonna cause some epic flame wars in FB pages soon.

    As long as 'choice' is really respected, then it's all good. We cannot impose contraceptions, ligation, or vasectomy upon 'Pro-Life poor couples', if they exist, if it is against their will.

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