New Year’s revelry

The Philippine STAR’s headline of Dec. 29, declared noisily, “Noy quietly signs RH law.” While it is true that P-Noy quietly signed the law without pomp and circumstance, his very signing of it was cause for rejoicing — for those who had shed years, resources and tears to getting the law signed after nearly 13 years.

For those who did not read that day’s papers, the story’s writers, Delon Porcalla and Aurea Calica wrote that Malacañang Palace officials said the President signed the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, now Republic Act 10354, on Dec. 27 in Malacañang quietly, “to avoid further firing up emotions whipped up by debates over the divisive issue.”

Certainly there was no cause for rejoicing for the opponents of the RH bill. In fact, immediately after the bicameral committee voted to pass the bill, the Catholic Church prelates urged the faithful to tie a million red ribbons across the Philippines as a sign of protest against the measure.

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said lay groups were behind the One Million red ribbons for Life and Family Movement. A week earlier, a pastoral letter read in churches accused Malacañang of using all its forces to have the RH bill passed, wrote Porcalla and Calica.

Despite opposition from the Catholic Church and other sectors, the President certified the bill as urgent, emphasizing that the measure is pro-choice and is meant only to teach couples the ways to plan their families, wrote the STAR reporters.

The President said in his five-point position on the RH bill, that he was in favor of giving couples “the right to choose how best to manage their families so that in the end, their welfare and that of their children are best served.

“The state must respect each individuals’ right to follow his or her conscience and religious convictions on matters and issues pertaining to the unity of the family and the sacredness of human life, from conception to natural death.

“In a situation where couples, especially the poor and disadvantaged ones are in no position to make an informed judgment, the state has the responsibility to provide, in the range of options and information provided to couples, natural family planning and modern methods.”

The President’s certifying the bill as urgent, was widely believed to have provided the final push for the passage of the controversial measure, wrote Porcalla and Calica.

The RH measure passed on third reading in Congress was principally authored by Rep. Edcel Lagman, and the Senate bill principal author was Sen. Pia Cayetano.

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Representative Lagman hosted a “victory” party at his residence in Quezon City on Dec. 27, not knowing that the President had signed the consolidated measure earlier during the day. The dark, swarthy gentleman whose pursuance of the bill seemed to have been his lifelong quest, said that RH proponents had won the battle and the war. He had authored the bill during the three times he was a congressman and since he  was prohibited from running for the same post for the fourth consecutive time, his daughter Krisel ran and won and continued to fight for the RH bill her father had authored. Now serving his fourth term in office, Lagman said his son, Edcel Lagman, would run for a congressional seat in next year’s election. At the party in his home, the tireless Lagman said, amid the guests’ uninhibited cheering, that the RH bill had passed “safely and satisfactorily.”

Now the task of drawing up the implementing rules and regulations is in the hands of Health Secretary Enrique Ona. The secretary was one of the distinguished guests at the dinner — the others seated at the “presidential” table were former Health Secretaries Quasi Romualdez and Esperanza Cabral, former Sen. Leticia Ramos Shahani, former UP President Dodong Nemenso and NGO activist Princess Nemenso, Ben de Leon, chief of the Forum for Family Planning and Development, economist Ernie Pernia and Mon San Pascual, executive director of the Asian Forum on Parliamentarians for Population and Development.

In the courtyard sat an assortment of pro-RH “fighters,” including Junice Melgar of  LIKHAAN, Beth  Angsiaco,Dr. Claudio, Marge Holmes, Rina David, Bishop Rodrigo Tano, Rom Dongeto, Rochit Tanedo, and Marites Vitug.

The next challenge for all these victors is to see that the President and the legislators are right in having the measure enacted into law that treasures the family, the right of women and men to have access to reproductive health services.

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As I write this, there are only a few hours left before a New Year leaps in ‑ the Year of the Snake. And most of us have gained so much weight from overeating.

The Upsilonians, including my husband Saeed Apin Daof , Batch 52, have received a message via the Internet, regarding the advantages of eating less — “beyond the realm of losing weight.”

The advice set forth is, “Yes, eating lesser can change your life in many ways besides making you look better. Here’s how:

1. Eat less to remain younger

‘Dietary choices that include less calorie intake are beneficial for our hormones. This is particularly applicable to easting less of fried and cholesterol-laden foods that tend to impact the sexual and reproductive hormones. Many of these hormones are responsible for providing us vigor and vitality, enhancing our youthful appearance.. This means the skin can be protected against aging caused by free radicals. This also works towards faster regeneration of new, tighter tissues and slower aging of the skin. Thus, by eating less you have a greater chance towards looking younger for a longer time.

2. Eat Less to Become More Energetic

“ Eating lesser food means that your body is supplied with limited calorie intake. The body needs to carefully process every bit of morsel that you consume. The digestion is directed at maximizing nutrient absorption and minimal storage of unwanted calories as fat. Thus, along with lesser fat deposition, your entire metabolic rate is raised.

3. Eat Less to Become Smarter

“Medical researchers across the world have repeatedly proven a direct relation between eating lesser and improving the brain’s performance. This includes the cognitive abilities and overall IQ. In fact, limited dietary intake to sharpen the mind has been practiced in many cultures that existed thousands of years ago.

4. Eat Less to Stay Disease-free

“You might not realize this but a lot of diseases are the result of inflammations within the body. This means they are caused without an external cause like an infection. This happens when the body is unable to get rid of the toxins found in food.

5. Eat Less to Become a Progressive Citizen

“By eating lesser you are essentially making daily savings. Just think about the amount of money you spend upon eating outdoors and the rising cost of daily foods, including common vegetables and fruits. Secondly, eating less means you are directly contributing towards reducing your carbon footprints.”

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My e-mail:[email protected]