Women hit CBCP official on continuously misinforming the public on RH

By DSWP
January 25, 2012

MANILA  –  Reacting to news reports, a group of women advocates working with grassroots communities hits a Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) official for his statement warning the public to be vigilant because of his suspicion that the highly clamored Reproductive Health (RH) bill may end up like the Corona impeachment complaint.

Elizabeth Angsioco, National Chairperson of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) argued that Father Melvin Castro, Executive Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, is again propagating misinformation and disinformation on the RH bill by insinuating that the said bill has not been subjected to due process in Congress.

“Is this a case of selective amnesia?” Angsioco asks.  “Fr. Castro knows well that the RH Bill has been pending in Congress for more than a decade and that it has been the subject of discussion from the Committee level up to plenary sessions in both chambers of Congress,” she explains.

Angsioco said, “all arguments, for and against have been exhausted; that many times, anti-RH lawmakers resort to repetitive, sometimes absurd ‘arguments’ against the RH bill.”

Angsioco asserts that the anti-RH lawmakers have failed to come-up with new arguments.  What they do is use technicalities as delaying tactics to prevent the bill from being voted on. Thus, the RH bill cannot and should not be unfairly compared with Chief Justice Corona’s impeachment by the House of Representatives.

Fr. Castro’s statements only revealed that the anti-RH camp does not have the numbers in Congress and that they are scared to put the bill to a vote because they know they will lose, said Angsioco. “Why else do they continuously oppose the voting? Clearly the delaying tactics are meant to prevent Congress from taking the vote on the measure,” she added.

Meanwhile, Angsioco calls on Congress leadership to already close the period of interpellation and move on to the period of amendments then vote.  “After more than a decade, legislators by now surely have their positions even if some choose to remain quiet on the issue,” she said.