Lawmakers tell public: Don’t be swayed by CBCP’s anti-RH drive

A Catholic nun wearing an anti-Reproductive Health (RH) ribbon (top R) holds a chain of rosary beads (C) as she joins some 7000 protesters during an anti RH bill rally at a Catholic shrine in Manila on August 4, 2012. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker on Tuesday urged the public not to be swayed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) campaign against the Reproductive Health Bill.

Iloilo Representative Janette Garin, co-author of the RH Bill, said in a text message to reporters that although the bishops had the right to campaign against legislators backing the measure “most of our voters are intelligent enough to decipher real issues from baseless and unfounded allegations.”

In an article posted by the CBCP on its website cbcpforlife.com, it warned lawmakers that they would have to “contend with the Catholic clergy in getting the public support”, should they place their support on the RH Bill. This came after the House of Representatives adopted the substitute version for the proposed bill despite efforts by its opponents to halt its progress.

Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes in the statement urged Filipinos, even those who were not Catholic, “…not vote the politicians pushing for the RH Bill.”

But “the Philippines is not in the stone age era,” Garin argued, pointing out that the public would know better.

“I respect the CBCP but there are limitations to what we should be doing. God would like us to help our people and do better service by giving them a choice and pushing for the upliftment of their socioeconomic status,” Garin said.

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, the main proponent of the RH Bill, has earlier assured fellow lawmakers that they should not worry about a backlash coming from Catholics.

“The Catholic vote is for the enactment of the RH bill,” he said.

But Paranaque Representative Roilo Golez, a known opponent of the RH Bill, cautioned that “kahit hindi buo ang Catholic Group. Kahit 10 percent lang ang buo, 10 percent of the 80 percent of the Catholics who comprise the population, that’s still eight percent which is bigger than the next biggest religious group which is around five percent.”

Pro-RH Bill lawmakers are hoping to reach a quorum during Tuesday’s session to continue where they left off in the period of amendments for the bill.