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Quotable Quotes

“Which is really offensive, promoting responsible decisions or withholding the right to informed choice of the people?”
— Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation Executive Director Ramon San Pascual regarding the petition of some groups to ban advertisements promoting the use of condoms. (Gmanews.tv)

“Now that his leadership is in danger, he is hiding under my mother’s skirt.”
— Representative Mikey Arroyo about House Speaker Jose de Venecia’s announcement that his mother, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, is still backing his leadership despite oust-JDV rumors. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

“Hindi ako papayag na kalakihan ng anak ko ang mga kasinungalingang pinagsasabi niya!”
— A furious Jessa Zaragoza in a phone interview with Startalk regarding former best-friend Rufa Mae Quinto’s allegations that she and husband Dingdong Avanzado cheated on her when Rufa Mae and Dingdong were still together.

So what’s so surprising?

According to the Social Weather Station (SWS) survey, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was perceived to be the worst government official in 2007 after registering a negative 4 percent satisfaction rating in February last year and submerging further to negative 16 percent last December.
She’s also the only Philippine president to have consistently registered a negative satisfaction rating since former President Corazon Aquino.

De Numero

7.3	Percentage of growth of the Philippines’ Gross Domestic Product. According to the National Economic Development Authority, this is the highest GDP growth in 31 years.

1,023.45	The February equivalent of the US$25 Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) membership fee in peso, down from January’s P1,043.58.

10	Amount of Olympic kitty approved by the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, in millions, for the support of athletes competing in the August Beijing Olympics.

82,000	Number of cars the Ford-owned Volvo is recalling due to rust problems that could stall the cars’ engines. The recall will cover the S40 and V50 models made between 2004 and 2006.

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The latest in the battle against “moralists”

Urban poor fights ban on contraception

Coming from Manila’s depressed areas, twenty Manileños have asked the Court of Appeals to repeal Executive Order 003 which bans the distribution of contraceptives in Manila City health centers. The petitioners claim that EO 003 has deprived them of resources to practice family planning and responsible parenthood after their regular supplies of condoms and pills were cut off.

The EO 003 was imposed in February 2000 by former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, who claims to be a devout Christian. The new mayor, Alfredo Lim, however, is said to be reluctant to lift the ban on artificial contraceptives in Metro Manila’s most populated city. This is why the petitioners chose to go to court instead to, once and for all, determine whether the EO has violated the constitutional right to protect families and respect individual religious practices.

Why ban condom ads?

Some groups namely AIDS FREE-Philippines, Human Life International, and Family Media Advocacy Foundation are calling for the ban of advertisements promoting the use of condoms.

Why? Because, according to them, the ads are “offensive to public morals.” What?!

First, define public morals. Second, who has set the standards for offensiveness? And lastly, define responsibility?

Instead of backing the petition with vague rhetoric, how about considering the following:
• According to the National Statistics Office, the actual total fertility rate of 3.2 is higher than the desired fertility rate of 2.5.
• One in six women do not practice family planning due to lack of resources or lack of information.
• Condom use has been proven to be the best defense in preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV-AIDS.
• The ban on distribution of contraceptives has mostly affected those with no resources to buy contraceptives or those who have no access to information regarding family planning.