Condoms a slippery issue for presidential bets

The possibility of the next administration buying condoms for public distribution grew even dimmer Monday, as presidential aspirants either thumbed down the idea or again tiptoed around the issue of whether they will approve the allotment of funds for such a purpose if they get elected into office. During Monday's presidential forum by the Foreign Correspondents' Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III (Liberal Party) said he would let Congress decide whether it wants to allocate funds for such purposes, even as he reiterated that there is a need for “responsible parenthood" and government support for family planning. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) and Nicanor Perlas (independent) said the government must have a comprehensive program on reproductive health, but they did not categorically state whether they would back the allotment of funds for artificial contraceptives. Moral choice “Moral choice basically is on the person, and the government must be willing to support that moral choice in the context of a broad program," Teodoro said. “It should devise programs or [its] own forms of population management so as not to exclude any particular method of planning your families." In the context of sexually-transmitted diseases, Teodoro said the government must ensure that those at risk would be able to consult government doctors and private organizations. Perlas said all stakeholders should re-think the options in improving reproductive health in the country because of the controversies attached to the issue. The reproductive health issue is one of the most sensitive topics on the campaign trail in predominantly Catholic Philippines, as the Catholic hierarchy has urged their followers not to vote for candidates who support the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill. Responsible parenthood Bro. Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas) and JC delos Reyes (Ang Kapatiran) maintained their opposition to the state purchase of artificial contraceptives. “Responsible parenthood should start from the parents themselves," Villanueva said, while Delos Reyes said the next administration should push for policies that are “moral." Senators Jamby Madrigal (independent) and Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan) said the government's approach to the reproductive health issue should be geared towards raising awareness. “I believe that the RH thrust should be information-driven rather than consumer-driven," Madrigal said. “Massive information campaign rather than massive purchasing campaign." Agreeing with Madrigal, Gordon added, “What is important is that we use resources for education, training of the population so that we can produce a quality population." - KBK/HGS, GMANews.TV