Bishops hail UN decision to junk Philippine population plan

Two Catholic bishops on Thursday welcomed the news that the United Nations (UN) was ditching its $1–million birth control program in the Philippines next year, saying that it only showed that the promotion of contraceptives in other parts of the world was declining.

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said the UN may have finally realized that pushing through with such program was futile in the Philippines.

But in the same breath, Arguelles said the public must remain vigilant and should continue to fight the reproductive health (RH) bill as without funding from the UN, lawmakers pushing for the measure would go after taxpayers’ money to bankroll the bill.

“Now that the UN will no longer provide the country with money to promote birth control, where else are these lawmakers going to get money but from public fund,” said Arguelles over Church-run Radio Veritas on Thursday.

“That’s why the public, the taxpayers must be watchful and must oppose the RH bill,” he added.

For his part, Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr., said the UN’s decision to stop funding the country’s population plan was a sign that the force behind the promotion of contraceptives was already weakening.

The bishops were also hopeful that more lawmakers would ditch the RH bill, which was still being subjected to plenary debates in Congress and Senate.

On Wednesday, Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, one of the staunch advocates of the family planning measure, said she was informed that the UN was abandoning its $1–million birth control program in the country starting next year due to lack of funding from members.