Responsible parenthood law pushed

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III said Sunday he was certain his administration would eventually come up with a responsible parenthood law.

Speaking at this year’s commencement exercise at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City, the President spoke about a 16-year-old girl he met at the Baseco compound in Tondo, Manila.

He said the girl was in quandary over how she and her jobless husband would be able to feed their two children.

The President said many questions entered his mind then, including who put the girl in this kind of situation.

He said the most important question he asked himself at the time was what he could do for the girl’s family.

Mr. Aquino said he firmly believed that a program of responsible parenthood would be enacted into law.

“I am aware of those who are opposed to it but it’s my obligation as a leader to reach out to all sectors and talk and explain to them calmly this—even if some are saying I should be excommunicated,” Mr. Aquino said in his speech at the University of the Philippines amphitheater.

“We have to listen even if the questions in the view of many were closed,” he said.

“But in the end, I have to decide. I have to follow my conscience and I need to do what is right,” Mr. Aquino said.