Lawmaker to Arroyo: Keep promise on natural family planning

MANILA, Philippines - If she wants to retain her credibility with the Catholic Church, President Arroyo should keep her word on natural family planning, a party list representative has said. A-Teacher party-list Rep. Mariano Piamonte reminded Arroyo of her Natural Family Planning "policy," which she adopted to show she is indeed a devout Catholic. "I hope she'll keep her words," Piamonte, a former executive director of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP),said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines website. He issued the reminder amid the Catholic Church's vocal opposition to the reproductive health bill now pending in the House of Representatives. The bill, however, has been shelved temporarily as the House of Representatives focuses on the P1.41-trillion national budget for 2009. Piamonte said the controversial bill is considered one of the most contested issues among Church leaders and government officials, but the fate of the measure still lies in hands of the chief executive. He that noted Arroyo, in her recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), reaffirmed her support for natural family planning over artificial methods such as condoms and pills. She said her administration's adherence to such method backed by the Church had actually trimmed the country's population growth rate. Piamonte said he still trusts Mrs. Arroyo as far as her population policy is concerned. "I still believe in her," he said. "But eventually when the RH bill reaches her desk for her approval ...hope she will not turn around her stand against it," he said. Mrs. Arroyo only has over a year to go before her term ends as President, and Piamonte said it is necessary for her to leave a "good legacy" to the country. "It's also one way to restore her credibility, he said. - GMANews.TV