Misinformed lang ba or Maangmaangan Na?

For quite sometime now, the issue on the RH Bill is still a hot topic everyone are talking about. Sa TV, sa Radio, sa newspapers and also in many online forums, itong issue na to ang umaani ng napakaraming hits. Pati nga sa loob mismo ng simbahan na supposed to be is a place of worship and prayer, RH Bill still is resounding. Catholic Bishops have branded the president as unchristian and the supporters as terrorists. One priest in Baguio City even slammed former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros for her stand for the Bill and threatened pro-RH Bill parishioners not to attend mass because they might be forced to moved out of the churches.

Last sunday ABS-CBN has put up a debate show aimed at tackling the issues and arguments na bumabalot sa RH Bill. Of course hindi ko pinalagpas ang pagkakataon na panoorin ito. Start palang ramdam na ang magiging mainit na talakayan sa mainit na isyung paguusapan. Opening salvo was from RH Bill proponent Rep. Edcel Lagman. He explained that the bill is not only about using of contraceptives, but holistic approach to reproductive health care. Which is what really the bill is all about as I have read. On the other side of the fence the anti-RH Bill proponents keep insisting that the use of contraceptives is not the solution instead it can cause several ailments pa sa mga gagamit nito. Paulit-ulit din binanggit nila na ang RH Bill will give way to legalization of abortion and the concept of conception and fertilization as to where life begins.This arguments are the same arguments that they are insisting for quite sometime now.

Siguro naman sa mga nakabasa nung RH Bill ay makikita na wala naman talgang basehan ang lahat ng argumentong ito. There’s no such thing as abortion legalization primarily because we already have an anti-abortion law. Hindi ba nila alam yun? How can you implement a law which conflicts another existing law? Pede siguro yun kung ibabasura yung naunang batas para paboran yung panibago, subalit wala naman nakahain sa kongreso na batas para ibasura ang anti-abortion diba? This arguments are merely illusions and assumptions para lang may argumentong maihain. They also keep insisting na kung wala man nakalagay ngayon na abortion portion sa bill eh pihado daw sa hinaharap ay magbubukas ito ng daan para dun. Nakakatuwa naman pala sila, manghuhula ba sila at nahulaan na nila ang pedeng mangyari sa hinaharap. Ito rin ang argumento na pinapanindigan ni Mr. Lito Atienza na nagsabing mas masahol pa daw sa martial law ang RH Bill. Sa ganang akin lamang po, kung ang isang bansa ay pinapairal ng mga hula at assumtion sa hinaharap, dapat wag na tayo mag elect ng gobyerno, mainam siguro iatang na lamang naten sa mga manghuhula ang ating bansa.

I find it amusing that these people keep on shouting this argument which tends to make people dumb at hindi nagiisip. Kung patuloy silang tatayo sa argumento na hindi dapat maipasa ang RH Bill kasi magagamit yan sa masama sa future, na magiging daan yan sa abortion tulad ng ibang bansa, eh di nararapat lang din po pala na ibasura din ang mga batas na nagbibigay ng karapatan sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan na magdala ng baril bilang proteksyon. Hindi ba at pede ko rin sabihin na magagamit din naman sa masama at pagpatay ang baril, ngunit bakit hindi nila tutulan ang pagbibigay ng permit to carry firearms at ang pinagpipilitan nilang supilin ay ang paggamit ng condom at contraceptives. Anong pagkakaiba ng baril sa condom, hindi ba’t pareho lng naman silang itinuturing na proteksyon?

Isa pang nakakamanghang argumento ay maari daw itong magamit sa korupsyon na naman, dahil sa pondong ilalagak para dito. Hindi ba’t tungkulin ng gobyerno na maglaan ng pondo para sa mga batayang pangangailangan ng mga mamamayan, at parte ng batayang pangangailangan na ito ay para sa kalusugan. Hindi ba tungkulin din ng gobyerno na tiyakin na ang mga mamamayan nito ay nabubuhay ng malusog at may access sa mga abot kaya or libreng serbisyong pangkalusugan. Kung itatayo nila ang argumentong ito, eh mainam nalang sana, na wag na rin maglaan ng pondo para sa Edukasyon kasi baka macorrupt din, wag na maglaan ng pondo para sa mga daan at infrastracture project ng DPWH, lalo nat laganap daw ang kurapsyon sa ahenyang iyon, wag na rin tayo lalong lalo na maglaan ng pondo para sa AFP kasi sobrang laganap din daw ang katiwalian dito. Tungkulin ng pamahalaan na tukuyin at paglaan ang mga pangangailangan ng mga tao, kung nakapaglalaan nga ng napakalaking pondo para sa mga armas na panlaban sa mga terorista, bakit nila tututulan ang paglalaan ng pondo sa isang pangangailangan na magpapatibay sa pamilya at pangangailangan pangkalusugan ng mamamayan. Corruption may be a treat to any law that will entails appropriation of budget but it is the government’s task to ensure that the funds will be used on its proper purpose. Hindi dapat maging hadlang ang takot na makucorrupt and pondo para hindi ibigay sa mga mamamayan ang batayang pangangailangan nito.

Another issue tackled is the question on ‘Are we poor because we are over populated?’.My take on this is that we are already poor and at the same time we are overpopulated. Ex-Gov, Joey Lina may have point there in saying we are not poor because of the population, but because of the corruption in government. On this part I say, hindi naman po talaga yung populasyon ang dahilan kung bakit tayo mahirap na bansa ngunit yung mga circumstances na nakapalibot sa pagiging overpopulated naten.Yes I agree people is the greatest resources of a country but the problems and circumstances encircling this population issue is our problem. Hindi naten pede ikumpara ang mga sarili naten sa Japan or sa Korea na mararami din ang populasyon ngunit maunlad sila, basically because maunlad na talaga sila kasabay ng pagdami ng populasyon nila. Kumpara sa Pilipinas na sobrang hirap na nga eh sobrang dami pa ng populasyon. How can you give the needs of your people if you have small wealth to be divided to so many people. Kahit mathematics mahihirapan na ibalance ang equation ng kakaunting pagunlad sa sobrang bilis na pagdami ng tao. I will again use this example to raise my point,let’s take a look on a micro level, sa isang pamilya na hindi maunlad ngunit napakaraming miyembro. Kung ang isang tatay na kumikita ng 200 per day ay may anak na 10 sa tingin nyo ba uunlad yung mga anak nya? Mapapaaral ba nya lahat ito, mabibigyan ng sapat ng medical attention or health care? Hindi sasapat ang maliit na kita ng tatay sa napakarami nyang anak at wala naman kurapsyon sa isang tahanan hindi ba? That is basically my point, we are not saying that the current population is the main problem why we are poor but the fact the we are already poor and yet we are continue and fastly growing in population. There is no way we can balance wealth distribution kung walang equilibrium of growth.

The bill as what its proponents said is not only about contraceptives, it’s a holistic approach to reproductive health care services and population management. This is aimed at promoting responsible parenthood and giving Filipino people a chance to choose what methods they want without the burden of cost. If the anti-RH will continue to invoke that this is an abortion law, or that this bill threatens the life of the unborn I don’t know if they are just misinformed or just playing and pretending to be one.They should stop with their argument that life start already by merely the union of 2 reproductive organs, and their claim that contraceptive are abortifacients. Church leaders should learn that forcing people into their stand just to be accepted inside the church will not succeed as it was already opposed during the time of Rizal. No amount of persuasion can attract people to join your stand because it’s like terrorizing them which people don’t like. If they really cares for the morality of the people and their welfare then do their part in evangelizing catholic teaching to its flock, but don’t push us and brand us with different names just because we have different stand. To our lawmakers please make or create your legacy by passing this law. It will be an honor to you having been an agent of change to our people and to our country.