Oppositors of the reproductive health (RH) bill in the House of Representatives were not disheartened by the result of a recentPulse Asia survey that majority of Filipinos agree with the bill. The Pulse Asia survey conducted in October, showed that:
69 percent of those surveyed agree with the RH bill; 7 percent opposed the bill; while 24 percent could not say if they agree or disagree with the bill. The survey was conducted from October 20 to 29 this year, based on interviews with 1,200 representative adults, 18 years old and above. In a text message, Bacolod City Rep. Anthony Golez said the survey only showed that 69 percent of Filipinos are not informed about the danger of the health services the RH bill will offer to the people. He claimed that more than half of the services the bill offers were "abortifacients" or substances that induce abortion. Golez said these abortifacients included: the intrauterine device (IUD), morning after pill, injectables and oral contraceptive pills that thicken the lining of the uterus and prevent the fertilized egg from being implanted. The lawmaker said the Pulse Asia survey results should make medical society groups and scientists inform that public that “when we consider that life begins during fertilization, many RH services can kill a life in utero." He earlier filed a resolution asking for a congressional inquiry to determine which family planning methods can be considered lawful or unlawful based on their tendency to induce abortion. “When we offer an informed choice as a pillar of family planning, we should make sure that the choices we give to our people are considered lawful, legitimate or do not violate any provision of our Constitution," Golez said. A bill the public hasn't read Meanwhile, Paranaque Rep. Roilo Golez asked how the public could have an informed opinion on a bill they have not read. Roilo is the author of House Bill 13, the proposed Act Providing for the Safety and Protection of the Unborn Child which states that the unborn child, from the moment of conception onwards, should be protected. “I understand at least 90 percent of the folks have not read the RH bill. How can someone who has not read the bill have an informed opinion on the bill?" he said. He added if the question is about reproductive health as a general issue, just like cardiovascular health or pulmonary health or gastric health, the answer will be positive. “In fact, who would go against reproductive health as a general health issue?" Roilo asked. He said the survey should first ask the respondents if they have read the bill and if the answer is no, the survey should stop. The pollster should note what percent of the respondents have not read the bill, he added. He said the questioning should only proceed if the respondent had read the bill. 'Concept sounds wise' Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles wondered if the public actually agrees with all provisions of the RH bill or just the concept. “If I ask you if you believe that our population must be properly managed, you would probably say yes, the concept of it sounds wise. But if I say that our population should be managed by committing abortion, you will probably give a different answer," he said in a text message. He added: “Surveys are just tools. They do not provide absolute answers to complex social questions." Not the target beneficiaries Zambales Rep. Ma Milagros Magsaysay said even though 69 percent of those surveyed agree with the RH bill, majority of them belong to the more affluent class who are not the target beneficiaries of the bill. “(They) won’t be the direct beneficiaries of it as the bill targets the poorest sectors who lack maternal and child care and need to use contraceptives to control the population," she said. Meanwhile, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said it is a good development that the House committee on population and family relations already begun debates on the bill so that concerned citizens and sectors can be heard. Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina, chairman of the committee, refused to comment on the survey saying he still have to check the questions in the survey and who were surveyed. “At any rate, the bills has to be discussed thoroughly and that all sectors be heard prior to any decision the committee may come up with," he said. A boost to RH campaign Meanwhile, the supporters of the RH bill see the Pulse Asia survey as a boost to their campaign. Gabriela Rep. Luzvimina Ilagan believed the numbers will increase as the days go by and the debates continue. “Many Filipinos will understand and support the RH bill. It is a positive sign that the proposed measure will be passed within 2011," she told GMANews.TV over the phone. For Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, author of one of the six pending RH bills, the recent survey exposed the dwindling influence of the Catholic hierarchy when it comes to persuading the faithful to eschew modern methods of family planning. “Despite the Catholic hierarchy’s all-out campaign against the bill and its branding of all modern methods of family planning as “intrinsically evil", support for the RH bill has even risen by six percentage points," he said in a press statement. Aside from the increase in the number of those who support the bill — from 63 percent in January 2009 to 69 percent in October this year — Lagman noted that there were fewer people opposing the bill, from 8 percent in January 2009 to 7 percent in October this year. “The people have spoken yet again," he said. He added the respondents not only approve of the passage of the RH bill, the survey also showed that: 79 percent recognize the right of women and couples to decide for themselves which family planning method is best suited to them; 70 percent agree that all forms of family planning methods should be promoted, and 55 percent agree that government funds must be used to support modern family planning methods. The survey came as no surprise, Lagman said, as almost two decades of surveys by the Pulse Asia and the Social Weather Stations have documented that: (1) an overwhelming majority of Filipinos, principally Catholics, favor the enactment of RH bill; (2) government must spend for the purchase and distribution of contraceptives to acceptors; and (3) government must promote of all methods of family planning. He said based on the Pulse Asia survey, even a majority of those who disagreed, endorsed the following provisions of the RH bill: Recognizing the rights of women and couples to choose the family planning method that they want on the basis of their needs and personal and religious beliefs; Promoting information about and access to natural and modern family planning methods; and Stipulating the use of government funds to support modern family planning methods. Support of the people Akbayan Rep. Kaka Bag-ao said the new RH survey showed the real moral majority in the RH debate. “We’ve always known that the bill has the firm support of majority of Filipinos, who believe in the bill because of their conscience and pro life principles. They, too, want to prevent the death of 11 women a day," she said. Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said the survey proved that majority of the Filipinos approve of the bill despite several black propaganda. “The power of legislators emanate from the people and I owe it to them to heed to their demand for RH right. After all, this is the essence of republicanism," she said. With this, she appealed to her colleagues not to close their eyes on the RH bill and acknowledge the timeliness and urgency of passing it. “Personal biases should be set aside for the greater good. The increase of 69 percent from 63 percent is laudable, reflecting the level of people’s participation in governance and a concrete evidence of improvement in the level of education," she said. Garin also urged the public to make their voices louder and campaign for the passage of the proposed measure. – VVP, GMANews.TV 
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