Church threatens to launch protests over Aquino’s contraceptive policy

A Catholic Church official threatened to stage protest actions over the prospect of President Benigno Aquino III’s government distributing contraceptives such as condoms and pills to poor Filipino couples. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Commission on Family and Life executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro said he was disappointed with Aquino’s stand on the matter. “I won’t conceal the fact that we are hurt… we were hoping that he will be like his mother," Castro said in an article Monday night on the CBCP news site. He was referring to Aquino’s plan to distribute contraceptives such as condoms and pills to poor couples. But he said they were not surprised since Aquino was already veering towards the support of contraceptives during the campaign period for the 2010 presidential elections. Castro reminded Aquino that the protection of the unborn child from the first instant of conception was a legacy of his late mother, late former president Corazon Aquino. He warned they will do everything to block the measure even if it means going back to the streets again in protest. Besides, he said Aquino should not use the family planning issue to divert people’s attention from controversies hounding his administration. “There are more pressing issues that the government should prioritize," he said, referring to the Manila hostage fiasco and jueteng controversy allegedly involving some of the president's allies. He added government should also provide long-term solutions such as job opportunities to address poverty in the country. Aquino, in a town-hall-style meeting in the US, had said government is “obligated to inform everybody of their responsibilities and their choices." “At the end of the day, government might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method. But after saying that, I will not embark on a situation that forces couples to go one way or another," he said. “At the end of the day, I still believe in the fact that the couple would be in the best position to determine what is best for their family, how to space it, what methods they can rely on…They bear the responsibility for the children they are bringing in and government is willing to assist them," he added. — LBG, GMANews.TV