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The debate on the controversial Reproductive Health
(RH) bill resumed in Congress this week, where the pros and the antis
debate once more on this highly-toxic issue, often with those supporting
the RH bill (notice they have dropped their new name Responsible
Parenthood and returned to using once again the term Reproductive
Health) peddling lies in order to sell their proposed bill. I fully
agree with pundits that this controversy has polarized the Filipino
people. I would even dare say that something good has come out of this
debate because it allowed the Filipino people to totally look at the RH
bill from different angles... from the moral, the legal to the economic
issue - whether our large population is the cause of our poverty.
Yes, those supporting the RH Bill would dare, misinform, cajole or
even lie to the Filipino so that they could have this bill passed, while
those that are against the RH bill can only tell you one story... the
truth!
We’ve so often quoted the world’s foremost liar, Joseph Goebbels,
Adolf Hitler’s Propaganda Minister (who at the end of the German Reich
killed his own family and committed suicide) who made this most quoted
quotation, “A lie repeated a thousand times, assumes the substance of
truth.”
The RH bill has been peddled in Congress since the year 1999 in so
many different House Bill numbers, selling us all sorts of lies, like
for instance, contraceptives are not abortifacient. The latest that was
revealed no less than by the former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral is
that contraceptives can cause breast cancer, though it reduces the risk
of cervical cancer.
But one good news out of this debate comes from Senate President Juan
Ponce Enrile who expressed his opposition to the RH bill saying, “As
far as we are concerned here, I don’t think it is a priority. I’ll be
very frank with you. As far as I’m concerned, I am not ready to tinker
with anything that is an act of God.” Thank God for Sen. Enrile, but
what about Sen. Ed Angara and Sen. Miriam Santiago, who recently
attacked the Pacman? Ah, that’s what we shall tackle in our column
tomorrow.
Meanwhile, there’s that alleged anomaly that Senate Majority Leader
Vicente Sotto III exposed during his privilege speech concerning a P2.6
billion allocation for Family Health Programs during the time of Health
Sec. Cabral dubbed the Maternal Neonatal and Child Health and Nutrition
(MNCHN) program of the local government units (LGU) which some LGUs say
they never got. Sen. Sotto is right in asking for an investigation into
this potential mess before the Senate would tackle the RH Bill, which
also earmarks a large amount of government funds.
There’s more to the corruption issue now plaguing the RH controversy
and it’s about money, money and more money from faceless pharmaceutical
lobbyists who no doubt are funding Congressmen and women who support the
RH Bill. Here’s a letter that reveals this reality.
“Dear Bobit, I have always wondered why the RH Bill is being pushed
through even though with or without it, the consumer is free to purchase
contraceptives in the counter. So I made some analysis. Based on
National Census Statistics Board data 2000, about 24 percent of the
Philippine population is above 20 years old. Based on the same
statistics, about 50 percent of that are females.
that means the total population of Filipinos above 20 years old is about
22 million. Half of that would be 11 million females. This is the
present target market for contraceptives. If I am not mistaken, based on
what I have found out from the internet, the cost of using birth
control pills is about P1,000 a month.
“The total potential value of the market in the Philippines is
therefore computed to be: 11 million x P1,000 per month x 12 months or a
total of P132 billion per year. The problem for the contraceptive
manufacturers is that 90 percent of the market belongs to the lower
income who cannot afford to spend P1,000 per month. So in order to give
this market purchasing power, the RH Bill is now being pushed to enable
the government to use taxpayer’s money to subsidize these
contraceptives.
“To further expand the market, the 10 to 15 years old will be given
sex education in school and they will be allowed to purchase
contraceptives even without the consent of their parents. That could
mean another 4,000,000 potential users. The value of this additional
market is calculated to be another P48 billion. Adding the two markets
gives us a whooping valuation of P180 billion per year. Now I understand
why the RH Bill is being pushed very hard. God bless! - Bobby
Tordesillas.” No bill in Congress has been so thoroughly debated,
dissected and discussed by the pros and the cons of various sectors of
society. I have read and heard most if not all the comments for and
against the RH Bill, but this angle has never been presented in this
manner.
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For email responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.
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