Lagman urges CBCP to pursue dialogue with pro-RH bill lawmakers

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said yesterday he has yet to see a clear proof of the Roman Catholic Church’s openness to dialogue with the proponents of the controversial reproductive health bill.

At a gathering of supporters of the bill held yesterday in Quezon City, Lagman said he wrote a letter to Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Bishop Angel Lagdameo, saying that the authors of House Bill 5043 were ready to meet with the Church hierarchy for an “open dialogue to find a common ground” on the issue.

“I haven’t received a response. A proxy went to the House of Representatives, saying that the bishops are not keen on meeting with the legislators on a central level,” Lagman said.

He said this meant the bishops were ready to meet only with those in the districts covered by their respective dioceses.

“They (bishops) have been doing that. There’s nothing new,” the lawmaker said.

Lagman said the Catholic bishops were either not serious about a dialogue or were just misquoted in media reports.

Earlier media reports quoted Balanga Bishop Socrates Villages as saying that the CBCP was willing to talk not just with its followers but also with the congressmen supportive of the controversial bill.