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Lea Salonga, Lisa Macuja support RH bill; Bands to rock 'House'


MANILA, Philippines - The controversial Reproductive Health Bill has found new allies in influential Filipino artists like Broadway superstar Lea Salonga and prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, and has even mobilized a number of musical acts into participating at a free concert to be held on Tuesday. Salonga and Macuja were among the latest addition to a growing list of backers of the RH Bill, a measure being pushed by more than 100 lawmakers at the House of Representatives with the aim of providing poor families access to basic health information and addressing serious health problems on reproduction. “Personally, I support [the RH Bill] and I’m sincerely hoping that it is passed because it will allow many of our countrymen, especially women, to have access to information that most of us already have access to," Salonga said in a taped message shown at a recent forum promoting the proposed reproductive health law. Salonga, who is currently touring the United States , expressed confidence that the highly-contested measure, with its wide-ranging coverage, would be able to address the ills plaguing not only expecting mothers but also the youth. “It’s a whole gamut of issues that this bill covers regarding family planning, spacing of our children, as well as other health issues such as STD [sexually transmitted disease] prevention, AIDS prevention. And I hope this will allow for a healthy and active discussions among all of you," said the 37-year-old Tony Award winner. The bill had been receiving blows from pro-life supporters – the Catholic Church being the most vocal of them – who claimed passage of the bill would only promote abortion and promiscuity among teenagers. In contrast to the Church, a recent survey conducted by polling firm Social Weather Station showed that most Filipinos, including Catholics, believe that there should be a reproductive health law and that the government should step in in ensuring that Filipinos are armed with basic knowledge on sexual education and contraception. “I am a church-going Catholic, a wife, a mother of three beautiful children. And I believe that every woman should have the right to choose between wanted and unwanted pregnancies for her future," Macuja said. “And the future of the children that she really wishes to have [can be achieved] thanks to the Reproductive Health," the highly-acclaimed ballerina said in another taped interview shown in the forum. Even before Salonga and Macuja chipped in their support, backers of the RH Bill have already tagged along for their cause a number of priests from the Ateneo de Manila University; a support group for AIDS – The Girls, Women and HIV and AIDS Network; and even several Cabinet officials including Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral. Rock the ‘House’ Further soliciting support from the music and arts industry, the Forum on Family Planning and Development Inc would be gathering more than 20 artists and bands for a one-night only, free concert at the Liwasang Aurora at the Quezon Memorial Circle at 6 p.m. of Tuesday. “Together, let us rock the house… the House of the Representatives that is," declared Benjamin de Leon, the Forum president. Peryodiko vocalist Vin Dancel, who will be performing at the free concert, said the best way that artists like him could support and promote the RH Bill is through their music. “As artists, we enjoy a privileged position when we go up on stage and go up the microphone, wala silang choice kundi makinig. Were taking that opportunity to talk about this very important piece of legislation," Dancel said. He said that they have even been promoting the bill through their mailing list over the Internet, encouraging their members to read the entire text of the measure before casting judgment on it. Dancel, who also spoke at the forum, said the arguments hurled against the RH Bill were merely focused on its provision on artificial forms of contraception, when in fact the bill has a much broader scope. “Dapat hindi nalilimitahan ang usapin ng RH sa sex at contraceptives dahil malawaka ang saklaw ng bill na ito and to limit the arguments to sex ay parang hindi dapat siya karapat dapat. Filipinos deserve so much more," said Dancel, a father of a seven-year-old boy. Aside from natural and artificial forms of family planning, the bill also tackles other reproductive health issues like abortion, maternal deaths, child nutrition, reproductive system-related infections, RH awareness among the youth through sex education, and even violence against women. For her part, Katwo Puertollano – vocalist of Duster, another band performing at the RH Bill concert - said during the forum that it was important for people to understand that the RH Bill is more a personal issue than a political or religious one. “I’ve witnessed it destroy and change lives. Do we let this happen? Do the current rules that we have suffice? I don’t think so," Puertollano said. She said that as a democratic and free society, the Filipinos should voice out their support for a measure which, she said, was only meant to protect lives and help address the chronic social ills like poverty. “I urge everyone to support and to really go beyond the political and religious stigmas. We are in a position to be able to prevent more deaths and poverty," she said. Among the musical acts slated to rock the night are Sandwich , Itchyworms, Lolita, Carbon, Sugarfree, Noel Cabangon, Imago, Chikoy Pura, Scarlet, Pedicab, Susan Fernandez, Cambio, Bob and Anya, Zoneone, Wandering Dw, FMD, and Jeepney Joyride. No dialogue? The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has recently issued a statement stressing the religious body’s opposition to the current version of the bill, further citing major “flaws" that could pose threats to the lives of a pregnant woman and the baby she is conceiving. But as a compromise, the CBCP had also said they are willing to throw their support for the RH Bill only if its proponents would strike off or modify some of its provisions. The CBCP said it was willing to raise their points of revision in a dialogue with the bill’s authors. In response, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, the bill’s primary author, said he was open to such a dialogue but doubted the CBCP’s seriousness in its call to sit with the RH Bill proponents. In a separate interview with GMANews.TV, De Leon seconded Lagman’s sentiments and said based on the Church’s recent moves, he doubted whether such dialogue would ever take form. “Ang tagal na noon nung ginawa nila ang offer na iyon, pero ayon sa aking nalalaman, hanggang ngayon wala pa kaming naririnig sa kanila (It’s been a long time since they offered to have a dialogue but we have yet to hear from them)," De Leon said. He said if the Church really plans to dialogue with them, it should do so immediately so that the bill could pass the House even before lawmakers go into a Christmas break next week. Vincent Jurlano, program officer of the United Nations Family Planning Authority, also stressed during the forum the urgency of passing the bill before the year ends. “Dapat ipasa na nila sa House, para mapaghandaan na din ang susunod na stage, sa Senado (The bill should be passed at the House so it could proceed to the Senate)," Jurlano said.- Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV
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