Palace defends Lea Salonga over pro-RH rally

Malacañang on Sunday defended the right of world-renowned stage actress Lea Salonga in joining a rally against a village ordinance barring the sale of contraceptives in posh Ayala Alabang Village. Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said Salonga is a private citizen and is entitled to voice out her opinion on the subject – and even contribute to the discourse on the issue. “Ms. Lea Salonga is of course a private citizen as well and she’s perfectly entitled to voice out her opinion whether that opinion is for one or the other. So like any other ordinary citizen mas mabuti nakaka-contribute tayo sa diskurso sa issue (it is better that she can contribute to the discourse on the issue)," she said on government-run dzRB radio. But Valte refused to comment on whether Salonga’s stand was a “welcome development" for advocates of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill now pending in Congress. “At this point di na muna, ang fino-focus natin ang pagdinig sa ibang stakeholders on this issue. Again for whatever goes on alam ninyo naman ang bill wala naman sa Palasyo kundi nasa Mababang Kapulungan," Valte said. (At this point we will not comment. Our focus is on the other stakeholders on the issue. Besides, the bill is not with the Palace but with the House of Representatives.) Malacañang had come up with its Responsible Parenthood (RP) bill, which like the RH bill allows the use of artificial contraceptives should it be passed into law. The Catholic Church and pro-life groups, which favor only natural family planning methods, had rejected both bills. On Saturday, Salonga joined former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral and some 100 residents of Ayala-Alabang Village as they protested a barangay ordinance that prohibits the sale of contraceptives in the village. The rally was held outside the Madrigal gate of Ayala-Alabang Village in Muntinlupa City. - KBK, GMA News