Face the Facts, Pass the RH Bill

12/17/2012

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 06:33:00 -0500

Hello followers,

It has been a long while since the last update.

While this remained largely stagnant, the articles that remain testify to the very need of the RH Bill in the Philippines. A need that, as of 7:00pm on this date, has been addressed and enacted into law.

I never thought i’d be writing this entry, but I am glad that I am.

Face the Facts was a small but, I felt, a necessary movement. It started from an anti-RH billboard that I saw near Guadalupe station MRT - erected right behind the commercial center, among working class homes and steps away from the squatters area. That particular area is known for being near the most expensive billboards along EDSA (The bench billboards, for those wondering). Money that could have gone into relief operations and care went into propaganda. Of note, while there was a time the billboard was taken down - I saw it again, even nearer EDSA, which means they paid even MORE money to get it to the people.

Meanwhile, and this is with respect to friends who work among the ranks of the extreme secularists: I did not like that the fight, for a time, seemed to be an issue of “your god vs. my god, or non-god”. I was then— a non-practicing Catholic. I believed in God, but I also believed in the RH Bill. I am for secularism, but I wasn’t so hot on the Bible bashing. It wasn’t about whose God it was, it was science; it’s health, it’s blatant misinformation that cost lives.

So, came Face the Facts. It took awhile, eventually the Christian sensibility did come out and joined in the good fight.

I was pessimistic about seeing the bill passed in my generation, I had thought that most Pinoys would listen to the sway of the Catholic Church more than reason. I am so glad to have been proven wrong.

Through Face the Facts, it has been a pleasure to see both sides of the coin. It was interesting to see how people addressed the advocacy. I learned a little more about the Filipino in the process.

In the end, as exhausted as I was with the issue, I am so glad that sense prevailed.

Today, I saw my government work. I believe it is a blessing, and in itself, a miracle.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed, ‘hearted’, and plugged this movement, especially for putting the blog on tumblr radar.

Personal thank yous: to Reis, for being the first one onboard with it. Thank you, Marco and Lauren, for being among the first to plug and mention it in later blog entries. To Vicky Ortega, for those long lunches and for sharing her own insight from her own advocacies in the provinces.

To Cholo Laurel, for allowing me to extend the core of this advocacy via Positivism.

And to Carlos Celdran, who indulged my tiny request for a retweet that got my followers in the hundreds in ONE DAY. Thank you for the good fight. Till the next time I walk your way. ;)

All my love,

Mia

http://miamarci.wordpress.com and http://miamarci-ink.tumblr.com

PH Tops Teenage Pregnancy in Southeast Asia

Thu, 03 May 2012 02:46:00 -0400

PH Tops Teenage Pregnancy in Southeast Asia:

Ceredeña also cited the NYC’s National Youth Assessment Study that revealed that unplanned pregnancy was one of the main reasons young people do not complete their education.

The UNFPA study indicated the rate of teenage pregnancy in the country at 53 out of 1,000 Filipino women aged 15 – 19.

…The youth official is recommending “Age-appropriate reproductive health education” to address is problem.

Parents, have you talked with your kids? Talked WITH, not AT, not TO. Do they know and understand what sex is, how it’s done, and what could happen?

Without the RH Bill, without proper sex education, the worst can and will continue to happen.

Face the facts today.

Cabinyan, a 55-year-old housewife, lives in Baseco, Tondo,...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:28:00 -0500

Cabinyan, a 55-year-old housewife, lives in Baseco, Tondo, Manila, one of the poorest communities in the city, with her husband and their 17 children. Her husband works as a janitor.

Cabinyan has been pregnant 22 times, but 5 of her children died.

“I first got pregnant when I was 16 years old. We lived in a very remote part of Baseco then. There were health workers who would visit us and talk to us about family planning and birth spacing. I was open to it, but we lived so far that they could only visit once every three months,” Cabinyan recalls.

-Report by Ana P. Santos of Rappler [article]

Happy Hearts Day from Face the Facts

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:02:34 -0500

Along with flowers and candy, please give the gift of safety.

Happy Valentines Day from Face the Facts.

PBS does a report on the birth control programs in small, rural...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:29:49 -0500

PBS does a report on the birth control programs in small, rural areas in the Philippines and their effect on the community.

Resident Jason Bostero explains why he and his wife Crisna chose to have only two children: “I am a farmer and fisherman. My income is just right to feed us three times a day. It’s really, really different when you have a small family.”

A community-based family planning program is making condoms and the birth control pill “as easy as buying soft drinks or matches” in the village, according to the report.

Watch the video, or read the article here.

(from carlosceldran)

Abortion Rates Are Higher In Countries Where Procedure Is Illegal, Study Finds

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:57:38 -0500

Abortion Rates Are Higher In Countries Where Procedure Is Illegal, Study Finds :

Worth noting: “Experts couldn’t say whether more liberal laws led to fewer procedures, but said good access to birth control in those countries resulted in fewer unwanted pregnancies.”

2012

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:42:24 -0500

A new year, but what have you heard lately about the RH Bill?

Philippine contraception bill causes fierce debate

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:06:24 -0500

Philippine contraception bill causes fierce debate:

A video by BBC.

Tens of millions of people in the Philippines live in poverty and the country also has one of the highest birth rates in Asia.

The government now wants to encourage its citizens to have fewer children, and is putting forward a bill in parliament to provide free contraception.

But many Filipinos are Catholic and the church is unhappy with the bill, Kate McGeown reports from Manila.

Soda-soap mix as contraception - experts are alarmed

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:51:00 -0500

Soda-soap mix as contraception - experts are alarmed:

BAGUIO CITY- Young Filipinos have been resorting to a concoction of detergent or bath soap plus cola drink, which they consume after engaging in premarital sex because they believe that the mixture can prevent the transmission of sexually-transmitted infections, a doctor revealed in this year’s national school health and nutrition congress here.

RH Bill not a priority? For how long? And how much longer do we let this go on?

Amnesty International-PH urges Congress to pass RH bill now

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:24:33 -0500

Amnesty International-PH urges Congress to pass RH bill now:

Amnesty International-Philippines appealed to lawmakers not to let 2011 end without the much-needed measure being passed, saying not one more mother should suffer from preventable maternal death.

Aurora Parong, director of AI-Philippines, said Congress should pass the bill that would help millions of women prevent mistimed and unwanted pregnancies, and have safe pregnancies and child birth.

It could also help improve everyone’s enjoyment of sexual and reproductive rights and enhance personal and family relationships.

The bill, which has received staunch opposition from the Catholic Church, is being debated in the Congress, and there is no indication of when it could be put to a vote. Advocates for the bill have embarked on a series of activities to convince lawmakers to pass it soon.

“Ten years of waiting for the enactment of a reproductive health law is too long. Our lawmakers must get their acts together to enact the law before the year ends,” Parong said in a statement.

She also said preventable maternal deaths have been among the biggest problems affecting women in the country and in most developing countries.

HIV cases worldwide decreasing except in PH

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:32:42 -0500

HIV cases worldwide decreasing except in PH :

A Global AIDS Report released recently by the UNAIDS observed there has been a 25 percent decline in HIV infections and AIDS-related illness and deaths, and that countries who have given enough funding and attention to the problem have stabilized the rise, spread and deaths caused by the virus.

Merceditas Apilado, a UNAIDS social mobilization adviser, said the Philippines is “one of the exceptions …and the number of HIV infections and AIDS cases in the country continues to rise, and not lessen.”

December 1 is World AIDS Day

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:23:50 -0500

Face the Facts supports the fight against AIDS.

Be safe, stay informed, get tested. Learn more about it from the following websites:

Positivism.ph, the No Day But Today Project, and The Red Whistle.

carlosceldran: The Philippine Reproductive Health Crisis needs...

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:40:56 -0500

carlosceldran:

The Philippine Reproductive Health Crisis needs a face. And that face belongs to Jocelyn. One of the 11 Filipino mothers who die everyday simply because she is denied knowledge about proper family planning. How many mothers are you going to allow Congress and Senate to let die before something is done? Please pressure your Congressman and Senator to vote and PASS the Reproductive Health Bill. Time is running out. It really is.

RH Bill won't be passed this year

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:37:00 -0500

RH Bill won't be passed this year:

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said deliberations on House Bill (HB) 4244, or the “Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2011,” will have to drag on to next year due to the number of congressmen who want to debate on the measure.

“Don’t expect that this [the RH bill] will be passed this year. I’m just being honest,” he said at a press briefing, adding that more than 20 House members are still on the list of interpellators despite the fact that plenary debates on the bill started last March.

“We have to consider the legislative mill… Itong RH, in my experience as a floor leader, it’s not really time na pagbotohan ito,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales, however, said HB 4244 will be put to a vote by next year.

Stalled again.

But when is it a good time to vote for this bill?

The world at 7 billion

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:43:38 -0500

The world at 7 billion:

Who are you among the 7 billion? Plug in your birthdate, get your number.

From the site:

“The world’s population is expected to hit seven billion in the next few weeks. After growing very slowly for most of human history, the number of people on Earth has more than doubled in the last 50 years. Where do you fit into this story of human life? Fill in your date of birth below to find out.”

"The more children you have, the more macho you are."

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:23:13 -0400

“The more children you have, the more macho you are.”

- common belief

Something fun for a change: Darth Vader on condoms. “I...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:14:00 -0400

Something fun for a change: Darth Vader on condoms. “I will not be your father.”

from headpointernext Ad by Jovert O. Bantilan for Raw School.

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:08:00 -0400

from headpointernext

Ad by Jovert O. Bantilan for Raw School.

"One of Lapid’s concerns is the possible effect of artificial contraceptives on babies. “I’ve..."

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:01:00 -0400

“

One of Lapid’s concerns is the possible effect of artificial contraceptives on babies.

“I’ve seen them mostly in provinces. Could it be because of some medicines? In most cases, especially in the provinces, the youngest child ends up being mongoloid. I wonder who could provide me the answer to this question,” he said.

”

- Lito Lapid Fears the RH Bill (abs-cbnnews.com)

Dear Sir Lapid.

Someone needs to pick up a college level science book and actually read.

Nasa textbook yan, sir. Basahin mo lang. Mag-consult ka muna sa mga doktor. Yung mga totoong doktor ha. Pwede mo rin basahin sa wikipedia.

Also from the article: “Speaking to Senate reporters, Lapid said he is afraid to debate with RH bill co-sponsors Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago and Sen. Pia Cayetano because he might not be able to answer adequately in English. “

Hindi yan sa kulang ng inggles, Sir. Kahit ako, kulang ang tagalog ko pero alam ko naman anong totoo.

Face the facts. Ignorance kills.

Miriam Defensor-Santiago: The Reproductive Health Act (Sponsorship speech parts 2 and 3)

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:19:39 -0400

Miriam Defensor-Santiago: The Reproductive Health Act (Sponsorship speech parts 2 and 3):

There are a number of constitutional provisions that underlie the RH bill. But the most salient is what I would call the “Sanctity of Life” Clause found under Article 2, as a declaration of state policy:

Sec. 12. The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception.

This provision does not mention the term “reproductive health” or any of its affiliate vocabularies. This is in the nature of a constitution.