MANILA, Philippines?While the Catholic Church was all out in its support for the late President Corazon Aquino in the 1986 snap elections, some clerics say they may not do the same for Cory?s son, Sen. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III, in the 2010 presidential contest, because of his support for the controversial reproductive health bill.

Speaking at the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) national convention Wednesday, Msgr. Gerardo Santos said Aquino should rethink his support for the bill, which he said contained ?anti-life? provisions and promoted a ?contraceptive mentality? that runs counter to Church teaching.

?We have been questioned about Noynoy?s presidentiability. We can simply say it has to prove itself. It has to speak out. It has to stand up for what is true, what is good; then we can see,? said Santos, the CEAP president.

?Warm bodies?

CEAP groups the 1,260 Catholic-run universities, colleges, high schools, elementary and preschools in the country. It is from these schools that the Church gets the ?warm bodies? when it wants to display its political muscle in the streets.

It was set to give the senator?s mother, the revered late President Aquino, its Deo et Patria Award late Wednesday but organizers said this did not mean it was endorsing her son?s presidential bid.

Santos stressed CEAP?s opposition to the reproductive health bill, which is being debated in Congress.

?As Catholic schools, we stand by foundations of our identity. CEAP last year also made its stand against the RH bill and we still continue to take a stand against it in consonance to the position of the bishops,? Santos said.

But he said the RH bill issue should be put in context, alongside other so-called ?life? issues that the Church considers important, ?like poverty alleviation, justice and peace, ecological stewardship, and youth empowerment.?

?These issues are connected. There is a consistent ethic of life that Noynoy Aquino and the rest of [the presidential aspirants] should consider,? Santos said.

?A consistent ethic of life is the position of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. You strike at one issue, you strike them all. This is a seamless garment. There is only one issue, which is the dignity of life from the moment of conception up to moment of death,? he added.

CEAP has invited presidential aspirants to a dialogue on Friday but so far only Sen. Francis Escudero, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando, environmentalist Nicanor Perlas, Sen. Richard Gordon, and a representative of evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva have said that they would attend.

The invitations were sent before Aquino announced last week his intention to run for president in 2010. But he was expected to attend the CEAP ceremony giving his mother a posthumous award late Wednesday.

Other CEAP directors said they had witnessed the ?Cory magic? at work in the provinces after the former President died but they said it still has to be seen if this would last until the elections next year.

?Cory magic came out during the late President?s wake and her burial. You can see that the memory of what she did for our country is really alive,? said Fr. Antonio Moreno, CEAP director for the Zamboanga peninsula.

?The Cory magic capital can be used because it is still there, but Cory is different from Noynoy,? he said.

?People are really looking for real leaders. It?s not enough that you have a name. You must have the right principles, the platform and [record of] performance that you can be proud of,? Santos said.