Pope not for rabbit-breeding
I was not surprised that Sen. Vicente Sotto raised hell when he read the headlined story on Pope Francis’ pronouncement reported by the media team from aboard the papal plane headed for Rome. The Philippine STAR yesterday bannered the story with, “Don’t breed like rabbits – Pope.” The senator, a staunch oppositor to the Reproductive Health Law that the Supreme Court approved, though with exceptions, said he could not believe the pope would use the word “rabbits” in referring to the propensity of Filipinos to breed so many children. Told that the story was based on a transcription of a press conference, the senator said the pontiff may have been quoted out of context, and that anyone could make a transcript of the conference.
The story that came out in the STAR yesterday said the pope “is firmly upholding church teaching banning contraception, but said Monday that Catholics don’t have to breed ‘like rabbits’ and should instead practice ‘responsible parenting.’”
Reproductive health advocates find the simile appropriate. Not giving women access to information on family planning and freedom to choose methods to plan their family size, results in indiscriminate breeding of children that families cannot raise, feed, clothe, and send to school. Begetting children en masse is depriving them of their inalienable right to life.
The report did mention, too, that the pope is not for artificial contraception. He told the reporters there are plenty of church-approved ways to regulate births.
That the report was not biased, is seen in its mention of the defense of the pope during his visit here of the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vita, “which enshrined the church’s opposition to artificial birth control. He warned against ‘insidious attacks’ against the family – a reference to gay marriage proposals – echoing language often used by overwhelmingly conservative US bishops. And he insisted that ‘openneness to life is a condition of the sacrament of matrimony.”
“Most importantly, no outside institution should impose its views on regulating family size, blasting what he called the ‘ideological colonization’ of the developing world.”
The report continues: “At the same time, however, he (the pope) said it’s not true that to be a good Catholic ‘you have to be like rabbits.’ On the contrary, he said ‘responsible parenthood’ requires that couples regulate the births of their children, as church teaching allows. He cited the case of a woman he met who was pregnant with her eighth child after seven Caesarean sections. “’That is irresponsibility!’ he said. ‘The woman might argue that she should trust in God. But God gives you methods to be responsible,”he said.
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Former health secretary Esperanza Cabral was interviewed by STAR reporters for comments on the pope’s statement. She agreed with the pope’s pronouncement that Catholics do not have to breed “like rabbits.”
In the interview, she said: “That is true. What the church is saying is that parents should have children that they can raise. But they want this done through natural family planning. That means the church is still opposed to artificial or modern means of contraception.”
She assured the public that the Reproductive Health Law gives “concession” to people who are against the use of contraceptives.
“That is not only for Catholics but for everyone. Under the law, both artificial and modern natural methods will be promoted.“
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Congratulations to Elvira Sison de Lara, who celebrated her 80th birthday at the Corinthian Hills clubhouse in Quezon City Tuesday. My friendship with her goes back 40 years ago, when she was making beautiful quilted bed covers in Antonio Village, Pasig. Her late husband, Clem de Lara, was my townmate in Gingoog City. A few years after Clem passed away, Elvira moved to the US and now permanently resides in Los Angeles.
Retaining her youthful looks, Elvira showed off her Argentina-dancing prowess, wowing friends and relatives, at her birthday bash. Her sister, Elizabeth Tagle and daughters Marissa and Marivic helped entertain her guests, including former Antique Gov. Sally Perez, a childhood friend of the celebrant and who is now a consultant at Senator Loren Legarda’s office. Nephew George Tagle and The Angelos rendered beautiful songs.
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If you thought SM Megamall and SM Hypermart were just places to shop for clothes and eats, here’s food for thought. The SM Group of Companies through SM Foundation and BDO Foundation actively practices corporate social responsibility. It has been actively supporting government efforts in the reconstruction of areas heavily-damaged by typhoon Yolanda. It has finished projects in ten provinces identified as needing assistance in rebuilding hospitals and healthcare centers, multi-purpose centers, and housing.
One of the finished projects is the 20-million SM-funded Tacloban City Hospital which has been turned over to the city government. The 50-bed totally damaged hospital has been turned into a 100-bed hospital with a bigger emergency room, a malnutrition ward plus a children’s cctivity center and an elderly activity center.
Also completed are the Tabon Tabon health center in Tabon Tabon, Leyte, and the Basey main health center in Basey, Western Samar and Carigara municipal health center which have been finished with partner Beiersdorf Philippines
New schoolbuildings are being built for the San Roque elementary school in Tanauan, Leyte in partnership with PSE; Tacloban city national high school in partnership with BDOF and Hernani slementary and high schools in partnership with Global Hope. Finished projects are the Polambato elementary school in Bogo, Cebu with Deutsche Bank; Baybay Eeementary school in Catarman, Samar; Lantangan elementary school in Pontevedra, Capiz with BDOF; and also the Ibajay national high school in Ibajay, Aklan.
SM Group has allotted P200 million in rehabilitation programs for Yolanda affected areas in collaboration with other donors and local or foreign NGOs that have programs similar to those of the SM Group.
Aside from infrastructure projects, SM also conducted livelihood training programs through its Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan farmers’ training program. Vegetable farmers from the municipalities of Barugo, Babatngon, and Tanauan in Leyte, Daan Bantayan, Borbon, and Bantayan Island in Cebu, and Guiuan in Eastern Samar completed the season-long program and are now replicating what they learned in their localities. This program helps the displaced farmers in Samar and Leyte.
SM also allotted P12 million for 100 new college scholars from Tacloban city and from the municipalities of Alangalang , Babatngon, Burauen, Barugo, Carigara, Dulag, Jaro, Julita, La Paz, Mayorga, Pastrana , Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa, Tunga, and Tabon-Tabon in Leyte.
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