Wrong and wrong-headed on RH
By: Raul C. Pangalangan • Philippine Daily Inquirer
... Manny is absolutely correct. That is the state of the law. Condoms can be bought over-the-counter, except in Alabang, which metaphorically situates itself in Islamabad. What is at the heart of the RH law—and this is what the anti-RH groups strangely underplay—is using government money to subsidize reproductive choices.
If all we want is to let couples choose whether and how to plan their families, they already have that choice—except that poor Filipinos can’t afford it on their own. They have no access to contraceptive information and rely on superstitious mumbo-jumbo. They would rather spend their little cash on food rather than condoms.
Manny is right: Filipino couples already have reproductive freedom. What the RH bill does is to help poor couples who can’t afford to enjoy that freedom. Ramon Magsaysay said: They who have less in life should have more in law. We have since codified this “social justice” principle into the Constitution, recognized the “right to health” and the duty of the state to make essential “health and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost.” ...
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RH Bill
What common observation can be drawn from the proposed senate bill and house bill?
Mr. Pangalangan had his brand
Mr. Pangalangan had his brand of intellectual discourse well crafted so to say but patterned after liberalists stand. This is not to counter Pangalangan nor criticizing his views but to hopefully reawaken the minds and hearts of those once upon a time street advocates who already are now in congress (either in the House of Senate or in the house of representatives) who happened to be bitterly criticizing the system we have in the Philippines. System here is referring to both political and economic system.
Along this line, we say, "RH Bill is a need not necessarily necessary". Philippines has already been into health and population-related measures decades ago and even spending millions of pesos every year. To improve it (health and population-related measures) requires not another law but improved minds and hearts of the implementers (i.e do very satisfactorily what is supposed to be done if not do excellently). RH Bill deserved not a bloody discussions/deliberations, for this is just another brand of reasonable stumbling block in order not to discuss the real issue that really deserved millions to be passed, discussed/deliberated and approved. This must be the system we have many decades ago. In fact it's been 50 years ago since this battle cry was first raised.
Try to ponder on these questions (these maybe so ordinary questions of ordinary economics students) "Do we have a system really practicable for an archipelago like ours?" "Is our system a system good enough to claim we are able to maximize the resources we have?". Sociologist by minds and hearts know and understand so well why Metro Manila and the immediate surrounding cities are overcrowded nowadays. They know as well that these cities are the reasons why Philippines been branded as overpopulated. Needless to say, it's because as ordinary students of economics remarked, "Development seemed to be confined in Luzon particularly in Metro Manila and the neighboring cities".And what? Braggadocios in Luzon been calling Visayans and Mindanaoans "promdi", bragging Luzon the central of development? and calamities as well? and Visayas and Mindanao are just but great contributors to the braggadocio's economy and contributors to calamities' assistance as well?
Why battle over rh? Those Visayans and Mindanaoans by minds and hearts you know pretty well what it means when economics students said "...seemed to be confined in Luzon"
Call this a regionalized perspective, and what's wrong when regionalization/autonomous or federal is the most practicable.
Whatever, the point is the real EVIL IS IN THE SYSTEM!