When the RH Law is Just a Symptom of a Bigger Problem

This was in the news about a month ago:

MANILA, February 13, 2014 – In an ambush interview after the Tapatan sa Aristocrat Media Forum held every Monday at the historic Aristocrat Restaurant. Dr. Ruben Siapno, M.D. assistant regional director for the NCR of the Department of Health said that the department ‘will still provide family planning services’ even if the Supreme Court will declare the RH Law unconstitutional.

Siapno admitted that even without the RH Law, certain provisions of the RH law can still be implemented especially the need for Maternal Health services such as family planning pills and devices.

He however quickly revealed when asked of the difference of having and RH law and without it as, “funding.”

Siapno added, “We currently have limitations. We can only provide for the maternal needs of women but with the RH Law we can prepare even the children. It is important that children be ready in case and be aware what to do.”

Early last year, the Commission on Audit (COA) in its 2011 annual audit report of the DOH uncovered over P500 million in fund irregularities from medicine procurement, hospital, medical, various goods and services.

During the debates of the RH bill senator Pia Cayetano sponsor of the bill admitted during interpellations on Senate Bill 2865 that the Department of Health (DOH) had asked for P13.7 billion to implement the RH bill for the year 2012 alone – an amount bigger than the individual budgets of the departments of energy, finance, foreign affairs, justice, labor, science, tourism, and trade. – veritas846.ph

Siapno admitted that even without the RH Law, certain provisions of the RH law can still be implemented
especially the need for Maternal Health services such as family planning pills and devices.

The logical reaction here would be to say that RH is moot. The government is going to go with it anyway, so why enforce a law that is divisive? The RH camp has gone so brazen anyway to show commercials on condoms, pills, and injectibles even as RH is in the limbo of the Supreme Court. They’re going to implement RH services with or without the RH law, therefore there is no need for it, and no need to use taxpayers’ money for contraception.

However, it would not be correct for us to assume that this means the Supreme Court will rule in our favor next month, nor is it right for us to disregard RH and its effects. One of the first things Michael Voris of churchmilitant.tv told us when he arrived here last month for a series of talks was a very sobering statistic: according to the group Univision.com, who made a survey on Catholics around the world, 68% of Filipino Catholics disagree with the Church on Her teachings about contraception.

That’s close to 3/4 of Catholics here in our country! What has happened?

What do you mean "Bahala na si Batman?"

We were having dinner one night with a doctor active in the pro-life advocacy, and she told us about her experience in giving a pro-life talk to an all-girls school. She was floored by the questions they asked her in the open forum. Questions such as: “Is it bad for us to have sex? and “are you stopping us from having sex?”

Naturally, she asked the religion teacher why the girls seem to not comprehend basic notions of chastity and modesty. The simple reply was: “we don’t teach doctrines and catechism any more. Everything is “experiential “ (where they apparently share stories and experiences in class without the catechism or the scriptures guiding these children).

Our doctor adds: “one of the girls got pregnant and she didn’t know who the father was. Apparently the kids experimented on sex one night during a very sexual game in a slumber party they attended. The girls were blindfolded and they had to guess who among the guys had sex with them.”

Shocking as it may sound, these activities seem like everyday stuff to many of our younger generation. We have to understand now that there is a bigger problem that lies ahead of us even if RH does not pass in the Supreme Court.

Even without the RH law, we now have a society whose foundations have been disintegrating beneath us; lives have been cheapened, exploited and destroyed; our families are broken, our schools are no longer teaching the authentic teaching of the Church; our children are having sex and using contraception at an earlier age, and marriage between one man and one woman is in danger because of the threat of same-sex marriage.

The RH law is just the final nail in the coffin.

There are lots of reasons why these problems are upon us. It all boils down to the failure of teaching the faith.

We have a lot of work to do in order to reverse this trend. We have to spread the Gospel of Life one person, one family, one group, one parish, one school, and one institution at a time. There really is no other way than to strengthen our foundations, and there is no other choice but to raise our children along the path to holiness.

We have to do something now. Not next month, not next week, not later. Now. Starting with our own homes and our own families. 

Si Ellen Page, ang kanyang "Coming Out" Moment, at ang Tunay na Pagpapakatotoo

Cue music!

Sorry, hindi tungkol kay Ellen Adarna ang post na ito. Ellen Page po. Hindi Ellen Adarna. Pero basahin niyo na rin.

Si Ellen Page

Ipinagdiriwang ng marami ang isa na namang pag-amin ng artista na siya tomboy. Si Ellen Page. Ito ang Coming Out Moment niya:

Nagkaroon ako ng girlfriend dati. Naging kami, nag-break kami, pero naging magkaibigan din naman pagtapos ng aming break-up. Pero nung magsimula akong maging active sa pro-life advocacy, in-unfriend niya ako sa Facebook, block, at di na kinausap kailanman. Ang huli naming usapan:

Ex: Plastic ka.
Me: Bakit? Dahil sa pagiging pro-life ko?
Ex: Oo, magpakatotoo ka. Kilala kita. Hindi ka ganyan. Ayoko sa plastic.

Given that I have a jaded past, isang nakaraan na puno ng kahihiyan at kasalanan - hindi na ba ako pwedeng magbago?

Ang pananaw niya sa akin ay ang pananaw ng lipunan tungkol dito sa isyu ng homosexuality. Papupurihan ka kapag umamin kang bakla/tomboy ka. Ewan ko lang ha, pero pulpol na pag-iisip ito. Ano ba dapat ang dapat mas matimbang? Ang pag-amin ng kasalanan at kahinaan, o ang pagsisikap na magbagong-buhay?

Of course, sasabihin nila na wala namang masama sa pagiging bakla o ang magmahal ng kapwa lalaki o babae. Let's discuss that next time.

Sa akin lang, napakaraming mga babae at lalaki dyan na naturingang bading o tomboy, pero nagsusumikap mamuhay ng malinis ang puso. They try to live chaste lives and not give in to their desires. Nakakalungkot lang na mas binibigyan ng pansin ngayon ang pag-amin ng kabadingan kasi ito daw ay pagiging totoo sa sarili, pero yung nagbabagong buhay ay tinatawag nilang plastic. Ipokrito.

Ganito na ba talaga tayo kababaw mag-isip ngayon?

Ang tunay na honest at totoo sa sarili, sa aking pananaw, ay hindi lamang yung umaamin sa kanyang mga kasalanan, kundi 'yung taong nagsisikap na baguhin ang kanyang buhay. Pwede kang magkaroon ng "coming out" moment mo, pero hangga't di ka nagbabago, walang saysay yun.

My Husband's Lover: Kabaliwan, Kinababaliwan

Umiigting ang pakikibaka ng mga netizens lalo kapag dating sa mga maiinit na isyu. Sa ngayon, walang mas mainit na isyu pa kung hindi ang My Husband's Lover.

Sa kanilang Facebook page, may mga taga-suporta at mga ilang bumabatikos sa MHL. Isa ako sa mga tutol sa kanilang palabas, na sa aking palagay ay hindi nararapat para sa mga Pilipino. Hindi ko na tatalakayin pa kung ano ang aking mga dahilan, saka na 'yun. Ang gusto kong pag-usapan natin ay ang reaksyon ng mga tao sa CBCP na naglabas ng kanilang pahayag:

"CBCP-ECY executive secretary Fr. Kunegundo Garganta said TV producers and writers must study themes presented in their shows and make sure they are based on moral standards.

He said guidelines regarding themes followed by TV networks are important, especially for television shows with controversial content. Garganta urged networks to consider how the shows impact young viewers’ consciousness."

Aminin ninyo. Maayos naman ang pagkakasabi. Dapat daw ang pinapalabas, yung nakabase sa "moral standards" dahil makakaapekto ito sa kamalayan ng mga kabataan, lalo na.

Pero ang Pinoy netizen, balasubas. For example, basahin ninyo ang satirical article tungkol dito sa blog ng sowhatnews. Basahin ninyo ng maigi ang article nila, pati ang mga nasa comments section.

Maayos ang request ni Fr. Garganta, di ba? Ginawan na lang nilang katawa-tawa para mapagtawanan ang Simbahan. Gagawin daw 'My Father's Lover." Syempre, patama 'yan sa mga paring nang-abuso ng mga bata at pati na rin mga matatanda. 

Ako na ang unang aamin. May mga abusong nangyayari sa Simbahan. Ito ay dahil tao rin naman ang mga pari at obispo. Nagkakamali. Let me make it clear. Tutol tayo sa kanilang mga pang-aabuso. Kung napatunayang guilty, bahala na ang batas sa kanila. Kung hindi pa napapatunayan, due process ang dapat. He should be innocent until proven guilty. Pero alam naman natin na hindi uso ang due process dito sa 'pinas.

Let's take a look at the comments section of the said article sa blog nila:

Uulitin ko, Hindi ko pinagtatanggol ang mga paring abusado. Hindi ko rin isinulat ito para sagutin isa-isa ang mga nag-comment. That would be for another day. Pero sasabihin ko ito:

Pumunta kayo sa wikipedia, hanapin ninyo ang MY HUSBAND'S LOVER. Ito ang mababasa ninyo (bold caps mine)

My Husband's Lover is a Filipino drama television series created and developed by Suzette Doctolero and produced by GMA Network.

It is credited as the very first gay-themed series in Philippine television due to the series' central subject of homosexual relationships and infidelity. The show has multiple continuing story lines that tackle sensitive yet relevant social issues like homosexual and bisexual relationships, homophobia and the society's discrimination against homosexuals, infidelity, pre-marital sex and the consequences of early or unplanned marriages. It also tackles the importance of family, friendship, integrity and love. The forty-five minute scripted drama chronicles the life of a woman, who belatedly discovers that her husband has been carrying on an affair, but not with another woman.

Dios mio! Ito ba ang pinagtatanggol ninyo?

Pare, pakiss. 

Tama ba ang pagkakaintindi ko? Pinagtatanggol ninyo ang pagtataksil sa asawa at ang pagpatol sa kapwa lalaki?

Yung pari na nagsusumamo na ibalik ang values sa telebisyon, nilalait ninyo, pero itong programang sisira sa values ng pamilyang Pilipino, tinatangkilik at pinagtatanggol ninyo pa???

Nasa talampakan ba ang utak nating mga Pilipino? Nasaan na ang ating moral standards? Ano na ang nangyari sa atin? Can you imagine this being shown when we were young?

Gumising sana tayo! Let us demand for better shows, for quality shows!