Ayala Alabang executives set to submit revised anti-condom ordinance

MANILA, Philippines - More than a month after holding a public hearing on a proposed barangay ordinance that seeks to ban the purchase of contraceptives without a prescription, officials of Ayala Alabang will submit within the week the revised version of the ordinance to the Muntinlupa City council.

In a phone interview, village chief Alfred Xerez-Burgos Jr. told The STAR the ordinance “is already on its way” to the city council and may be submitted “within the week.”

When asked what changes were made, Burgos declined to answer and said: “Why don’t you just wait for it? It’s better if you wait for it.”

In a separate interview, lawyer Luis Sison, the village’s spokesman on the ordinance, said it may be submitted “tomorrow (Tuesday) or on Wednesday,” adding he does not know which provisions were modified.

The ordinance, titled “Protection of the Unborn Child Ordinance of 2011,” was passed and approved last Jan. 3. The city council, however, remanded it back to the barangay level after finding some of its provisions contrary to existing laws.

Under the ordinance, advertisements for contraceptives are prohibited within the village’s jurisdiction. Barangay employees and its agencies are not allowed to solicit, accept, or dispense contraceptives.

Educational institutions are not allowed to teach compulsory sex education without prior consultation and written permission from the parents or guardians of minor students from public and private schools.

Violators can be fined P1,000 to P5,000 and face imprisonment of six months to one year.

Barangay officials caught violating the ordinance will be dismissed from office and “shall thereafter be barred from holding any public office,” while establishments or companies will face cancellation of business permits.

Last March 9, a public hearing was conducted as Ayala Alabang residents staged a rally to express their opposition to the ordinance.