DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Amid the applause from medical practitioners gathered here for a three-day national convention, President Benigno Aquino III made another pitch for the reproductive health bill, the controversial piece of legislation that earlier put him at loggerheads with the Catholic church.
“I’ve read the stand of the PMA (Philippine Medical Association) and I’m happy to note that it is consistent with my stand,” said Mr. Aquino amidst cheers from doctors.
He cited a recent visit to the Baseco medical facility where he met a 16-year-old girl who just delivered her second child. “Instead of studying for the college entrance exams, she was faced with the challenge of raising two children. Who is responsible for this? Who brought about the situation?” the President asked.
“That’s why, it’s important to talk about responsible parenthood. We need legislation that would prevent this tragedy from happening,” he said as the crowd broke into wild cheers for the second time.
He said reproductive health “must be against abortion.”
“Educate the couples, give them a menu of choices of family planning methods as they are in the best position to decide on matters affecting them,” Mr. Aquino said. “In short, we don’t want and will not force anyone to go against their individual preferences but let them make informed decisions.”
He said it would be best to educate people than to hold them hostage to the limited resources available to them. “It is right to grant them free will, which is their inherent right.”
At the press briefing held shortly after his speech, the President refused to comment on the new set of legislation hatched out in the Senate as a compromise for the RH bill, saying he did not want to sound like he was ordering and directing the Senate, a body independent from the executive branch of government. He also said he would not want to pick a fight with the Catholic church.
“I urge the Church to work with us instead on the many areas where we do agree—poverty alleviation, peace and order, and perhaps, even responsible mining. Let us work together. This single issue does not have to be as divisive as it has become,” Mr. Aquino said.
Dr. Maria Lourdes Monteverde, president of the Davao Chapter of the Philippine Medical Association, said the group has already come up with a unified stand on the RH bill and that the three-day gathering would tackle social issues confronting health practitioners, including mining and the call center industry, and making universal health care accessible to all.