Turn the Lights On: Know the Real Deal Why we say No to the RH BILL

Yes, No or “It’s Complicated”?

           Sabi ni Dr. Jose Rizal, ang mga kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan. Many generations have already passed since this infamous quote has streamed itself into the hearts and minds of Filipinos everywhere. But looking at Philippine history, has the youth ever made a stand for the Filipino nation? When the economy hit rock bottom, when poverty rates continued to rise, and when threats to national security picked up its pace, nasaan nga ba tayo naparoroon sa mga panahong ito?

First Quarter Storm? EDSA? Hindi magpapahuli, may EDSA Dos pa.

Do these events ring a bell? They say the youth were big players each time the Filipino people wanted change in the government leadership. But what if there was no president to oust? Sa makabagong panahon, paano kung hindi natin namamalayang nababastos na pala ang ating mga karapatan? Mananahamik na lamang ba tayo? Sa likod ng mga kutsa at sa kabila ng tila maliit nating mga boses, sa panahong ito, tayo nga, at wala nang iba, ang pag-asa ng ating bansang minamahal.  

We are caught in the middle of things. Today, our lawmakers are battling out in congress something which they say is for the good of our future.

This August 7, JUDGMENT DAY is coming.
Congress will finally make a decision on the bill.

Masyado na tayong marami sa Pilipinas, maraming naghihirap. Tama na! We need to control our numbers. We need contraceptives. We need to give young people the 411 on sex. We need to pass the Reproductive Health Bill.

WOEH? ‘Di nga? Ano raw? Are you serious? Will the RH Bill really be our golden ticket to Hollywood?

Isa lang ang masasabi ko, bilang kabataang katoliko, hindi nirerespeto ng panukalang ito ang ating mga paniniwala at paninindigan. Sa isang bansang demokratiko, ibig naming maging tunay na malaya. RESPETO. Ito ang aming hinihingi. Ito ang aming sigaw. Respeto sa aming relihiyon, sa aming buhay, at higit sa lahat, sa aming kinabukasan.

To all our fellow young people, it’s time to discover the real deal on this bill. We need to make a stand for life and for what is right. This is the true golden ticket to a bright future.

Tulad ng ating kinahihiligan, at minsang kinababaliwang Facebook, ano ang iyong status sa mga isyung ito? Yes, No or ‘It’s Complicated’? Kung ‘none-of-the-above’ ang sagot mo, mahalagang malaman mo sapagkat nakasalalay dito ang ating kinabukasan.

Ano pa man ang isinisigaw ng iyong puso, ang susunod na bahagi ay para sa iyo. O siya, baka naiinip ka na, simulan na natin ang kwentuhan.

Tanong ng mga Kabataan sa Makabagong Panahon:

 1.   My boyfriend wants me to show his love for him through sex. I think I am ready, dahil mahal na mahal ko naman siya. May mali ba dun?

Kadalasan nagiging basehan ng pagmamahalan ng magkasintahan ang kanilang physical intimacy sa isa’t isa. Sa pagkakalapit ng laman, nagdidikit din raw ang mga puso. Girls choose to give in to their boyfriend’s request because of love. But on the guys’ part, sadly, it’s sometimes just about lust. Minsan, dahil lamang sa matinding pagnanasa o libido kung kaya’t gusto nilang makipag-sex sa kanilang mga girlfriends. Para sa mga babae, huwag kayong mahumaling sa mga killer lines tulad ng “Nagmamahalan naman tayo, walang masama sa sex, at kahit anong mangyari, paninindigan kita.” Kung mahal ka ng lalaki, maghihintay siya. Ang tunay na lalaki nakapag-iintay, may self-control. Rerespetuhin niya ang pagkababae mo at hinding hindi hahayaan na malagay ka sa alanganin. Hangga’t walang wedding ring, huwag mong isusuko ang iyong virginity. Ang katawan mo ay isang napakagandang regalo mula sa Diyos na nakalaan lamang para sa taong ihinahanda niya para sa’yo. At dahil hindi pa kayo kasal, marami pang pwedeng mangyari.

2.   Anyway, we’ll be using a condom. I won’t get pregnant right?

Sabi sa Theology of the Body ni Pope John Paul II, “sex is a language of self-donation – a total emotional, physical and spiritual gift of self.” Habang nagtatalik ang mag-asawa, sinasabi nila sa isa’t isa na “I give all that I have to you and I receive all that you are giving. I am giving you all of myself even my fertility… forever.” Ito ang plano ng Diyos para sa sex: love giving and life giving, para lamang sa mag-asawang kasal sa simbahan. Dahil dito, isang kalokohan ang sex out of marriage o pre-marital sex. Taliwas ito sa napakagandang plano ng Diyos para sa ating buhay pag-ibig. Sex is meant to be enjoyed between spouses without guilt and fear. Gagamit ka ng condom dahil ayaw mong mabuntis, tila sinasabi mo “I’m keeping myself from you and I won’t give you my fetility.” Nasaan ang totoong meaning ng love sa ganitong pananaw? Tulad ng nabanggit sa unang tanong, kung tunay kang minamahal ng iyong kasintahan, hindi niya hihingin mula sa iyo ang isang bagay na wala pa naman siyang karapatan at alam niyang pwede mong ikapahamak. Isa pa, hindi ibig sabihin na kapag gumamit ka ng condom ay hindi ka na mabubuntis o makabubuntis. Ayon sa pagsusuri, ang paggamit ng male condom ay may failure rate na 15% at 21% naman ang failure rate ng female condom.

3.    What’s the big deal with using pills? Everyone’s using it anyway.

Ang paggamit ng pills ay isang uri ng contraceptive, isang pamamaraan para hindi mabuntis ang isang babaeng sexually active. For all the girls, would you really submit your body and your fertility to chemicals just so you can be sexually available? Any good thing enjoyed without restraint loses its value. Your fertility is a gift! Never forget that. Wouldn’t you hold out yourself for a man who will respect that gift? Contraception seems to promise you a life of freedom, but if you really think about it, it doesn’t really help you at all. Sabi muli sa Theology of the Body, contraception sets you up for a future in marriage that is only based on a partial gift of self other than a total gift of self. Higit pa rito, maraming pagsasaliksik ang nagsasabing sa paggamit ng pills, tumataas ang chance ng isang babae na magkaroon ng breast cancer at iba pang mga sakit tulad ng myocardial infarction at pulmonary embolism (The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies oral contraceptive pills as Group 1 carcinogens). If you think that using pills is no big deal, think again and think about what your body has to say with the chemical intruders you wish to take in.

4.   I want to know more about sex. Who would teach me?

Ang ating mga magulang ang mga taong nararapat na magturo sa atin ukol sa sekswalidad at sa iba pang mga bagay na kawangis nito. Hindi ito karapatan ng estado. According to Art. II, Sec. 12 of the Philippine Constitution, parents have the right to raise and develop the moral character of their children and to care and rear… for the development of their moral, mental and physical characteristics and well-being. Indeed, parents have the right to raise their children according to their faith and the law.

5.   But I’m shy to ask my parents about it, it’s awkward and weird. Ano na lang ang mangyayari sa akin?

If and when you can relate with this dilemma, your school/academic institution is the best place for learning and development. Wala namang masama sa sexuality education per se. But what we are not comfortable with is the mandatory sex education the RH Bill obligates starting grade 5 until the last year of High School. Mapusok na ang mga kabataan ngayon, ano na lang ang mangyayari kung sila’y tuturuan ukol sa paggamit ng condoms, pills, IUD at iba pang contraceptives. Para bang okay lang ang makipag-sex kahit hindi kasal, may contraceptive naman kapag nagkataon. May tamang panahon para sa mga bagay na ‘to. Ang totoong sex education ay chastity education. Through this, young people will be taught the value of patience, waiting, purity and love. These are the things young people need to learn about to live a happy, pure and guilt-free life.

6.   I know that Abortion is bad, but if it is just blood, isn’t that acceptable?

Dugo nga lang bang maituturing kapag nagsama na ang sperm cell ng lalaki at oocyte (egg) ng babae? In truth, life begins from this very point of fertilization, the union of male and female reproductive cells. Hindi bacteria o dugo lamang ang nabubuo. Research shows that a new human being (with DNA) already comes into existence from the earliest moment of conception. Coming to life is a person who well may be a future doctor, lawyer, teacher, or even a future president of the republic; a person with a mission and a purpose. Because of this, even the fertilized egg has the right to live. Walang sinuman ang maaaring magnakaw ng karapatang ito kahit pa ang ina ng bata. Many people are not aware of the abortifacient effect of contraceptives and IUD’s. Biologically, from the moment of conception, this new human being is not part of the mother’s body. Tulad ng isinasaad sa ating saligang batas, “the state shall equally protect… the life of the unborn from conception…”

7.   Reproductive Health sounds good especially for women. Shouldn’t we all go for it?

Sa panahon ngayon, totoong mahalaga na mapangalagaan ang reproductive health ng mga kababaihan. Buhay ang nakasalalay sa bawat babaing hindi mabibigyan ng nararapat na tulong para sa kanyang pagdadalang tao. There is a pressing concern for this in the Philippines because of the lack of proper health care, health systems, health care personnel and health facilities especially for poor women. This is what the government should focus on instead of providing women with options that may harm them. Tila nakasasama sa kalusugan ng mga kababaihan ang mga hormonal at chemical contraceptives na yan. Higit pa rito, buhay ang nasasayang. These artificial means either prevent fertilization or bring about the destruction of the early embryo.

8.   We are overpopulated in the Philippines; don’t you think it’s about time to have population control?

Almost everyone thinks this way because everywhere we look, there’s a bunch of people crowding somehow. Just look at the rush hour in the MRT or the case of malls especially during Sunday’s, there’s just too much people, they will complain! But the truth is, we are not overpopulated in the Philippines. Mukha lang ganun dahil may over-concentration ng mga tao sa urban areas tulad na lang ng Metro Manila. It’s normal to converge in the cities because the jobs are there but if you just consider the total land area of the Philippines, there’s more than enough space for every Filipino.

9.   Bulag ba kayo? Hindi ninyo ba nakikita ang sitwasyon ng mahihirap? They have many children which they cannot provide for; I really think the RH Bill is the solution to this problem.

Will getting rid of innocent, poor children really solve poverty in the country? According to Simon Kuznets, Nobel Prize winner in Economics, there is no clear association between population and the incidence of poverty. The causes of poverty are: misguided economic policies, social inequalities, poor economic and social services, and most especially, graft and corruption. Hindi population control ang sagot sa kahirapan! Bigyan ng trabaho at access to education ang mga kapos nating mga kababayan. The government should work towards long-term and sustainable human development measures. Get rid of corrupt, greedy and rich politicians. This is what can truly help the poor. People are a country’s most important resource. We need people who will work for this country. At ang pagbabawas ng mga tao ay walang maidudulot na maganda sa bansa.

10. The RH Bill is a political issue. Bakit ba masyadong nakikialam ang simbahan?

Hindi nakikialam ang simbahan sa kahit anong gawain ng gobyerno. Like any normal citizen, the Church is merely expressing her stand against an issue which has an effect on the dignity and on the quality of life of its flock. May it be a political issue or not, may karapatan ang simbahang makialam at magsalita lalo na kung ang panukalang ito ay maaaring magdulot ng kapahamakan sa sangkatauhan. It is simply her right! If the Church should stop from speaking out just because times are changing, she would renege on her pastoral responsibility to her flock. Higit pa rito, the state ensures religious freedom. Therefore, they cannot impose something which goes against the beliefs of a particular sect, in our case, the beliefs of the Catholic Church.
There you go people! Isang mahitik na diskusyon ukol sa Reproductive Health Bill na kasalukuyang isinusulong ng mga mambabatas sa kongreso.

Maaari mong sabihin, “WAPAKELS ko sa bill na yan” o “Problema na ‘to ng matatanda, magfe-Facebook na lang ako!” Nagkakamali ka kaibigan. The RH Bill has an effect on your life, on your future, and on the life of your future family. Kung gusto mong makaranas ng buhay na puno ng kasiyahan, pagmamahalan at kalayaan, you better think about your status when it comes to this bill.

Much has been said, status check tayo: Yes, No or ‘It’s Complicated’? Para sa isang magandang kinabukasan at isang masayang buhay para sa lahat, kaming mga kabataang katoliko ay sumisigaw, NO TO THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL. Respeto. Sana nama’y ipagkaloob ninyo.    

References

Kuznets (1974) Population Capital and Growth, Norton.
Molmisa, Ronald (2010). Lovestruck. OMF Literature Inc.: Mandaluyong City.
Plenary Statement on Choosing Life, Rejecting the RH Bill. Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
Reproductive Health. Retrieved from http://www.forum4fp.org/html/reproductive-health.html
Subcommittee Report, S-158, 97th Congress, 1st Session 1981, 7.
Stanford and Mikolajczyk (2005). “Mechanisms of action of intrauterine devices: Update and estimation of postfertilization effects”. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (W.B. Saunders Comp) 187: 1699–1708.
Universitas.UA&P Official Publication. (Aug 2011). p.18.