MILAN, Italy. – Oriental Mindoro Congressman Rey Umali is P-Noy’s party mate in Liberal Party. But it is not an assurance that the lawmaker will support the president-endorsed Reproductive Health Bill.
Umali, who is on his first term as a congressman, junks the controversial bill that allows the use of artificial contraceptive methods.
Providing job opportunities, good education and health are vital keys to solve poverty in the Philippines and not the implementation of the law which endorses the use of artificial contraceptive methods, Umali emphasized.
He believed that the argument being raise in pushing RH bill is how to solve poverty in the Philippines.
P-Noy endorsed the controversial bill by including it to the administration’s additional 13 priority measures during the second Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac ) meeting on August 16, 2011.
Some revisions have been made to make it acceptable to the public as well as to the Catholic Church who strongly opposes the bill because of its promotion on the use of artificial contraceptive methods in family planning.
The provision that fixes the ideal number of children to only two in the proposed RH bill has been deleted and the ideal age for teaching sex education to children has been changed to 11 years old or when the child is in grade six or in high school from 9 or 10 years old.
Umali bravely opposed the so called Responsible Parenthood (RP) bill for Malacanang during his visit in Milan and other cities in Italy recently.
But for some Filipinos in Milan, the controversial bill gained thumbs-up .
Minda Abagat said that responsibility and discipline to make a good family is very important for a couple. For her, the hard work and sacrifices made to provide the best for her daughter are the factors that lead her to say yes to RH bill.
“Maiwasan na rin ang paglobo ng populasyon natin at mabigyan magandang kinabuksan ang mga magiging anak, pero kahit na may RH bill, hindi naman ibig sabihin na hahayaan na lang natin na magbuntis tayo nang magbuntis tapos ipalalaglag. Kailangan din natin na isipin at kontrolin din kung papaano tayo hindi magbuntis. Dapat responsible pa rin tayo sa mga bagay na gagawin natin” Abagat said.
For Paula Diaz, a-23 year old mother, the passage into law of the proposed RH bill will not give harm to the Filipino people.
Instead, she compared the Philippines to Italy. “Tulad po dito, naging legal na rin po yun abortion or taking pills then okay naman po yun takbo ng government nila at tsaka po yun bansa. For me, palagay ko po, it’s time na para ipatupad din sa Pilipinas, kasi ang hirap naman yun manganganak ka then after, hirap na hirap , di mo alam kong papaano mo mabubuhay ng maayos ang bata. It’s better na manganak ka on the right time para maibigay mo yun gusto at pangangailangan ng bata”. (by: Zita Baron)
