Now that we have RA 10354, Filipinos should not forget HOW it became that from being RH Bill 4244. We may think we know what it’s all
about—what “RH” is, who voted for or against it, when and where it happened—but unless we look deeply into the how of things we will continue to walk
blindfolded into the hell hole that the Aquino administration tells us is the
gateway to paradise.
Palace intervention in the RH issue eerily seems like a replay of the
Corona case when 188 congressmen were herded (into a Japanese restaurant) to
approve the impeachment complaint.
It is not clear whether the lawmakers were “DUI”—Deciding Under the
Influence (of saki and sashimi this time)—but it was reported
that even without reading the complaint, the congressmen signed it, otherwise
they’d reportedly be deprived of their bowl of “adobong baboy”, a.k.a. pork
barrel which on record goes as Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
It seemed adobong baboy was
again used as bait in the case of the RH Bill. The President hosted a whirlwind lunch for the congressmen
just two days after the August 4 anti-RH rally on EDSA, where contraception was
equated with corruption and the anti-RH camp repeated its claim of having 140
congressmen on its side. The Aug.
6 blitzkrieg lunch by the Palace resulted in the post-lunch viva voce vote ending the period of interpellations in Congress, a day ahead of
schedule. (Huh? Isn’t Congress supposed to be
independent of the Palace?)
Then again, during the voting on RH bill’s second and third readings,
Noynoy henchmen were in the Batasan lounge, advising anti-RH party members to
“go home” if they were just going to vote NO. We heard that from some congressmen themselves as we covered
the proceedings then. What’s
alarming is that the Executive Branch is doing its meddling so brazenly; what
do they take the Filipinos for?
These episodes were reported by media but the protests against Palace
intervention were feeble and mostly drowned out by the media-supported barrage
of clichés, arguments and downright lies that have served as pro-RH camp’s
staples since Day One: RH is the solution to poverty; the Church is indifferent
to the needs of the poor; 11 mothers die daily; RH is for informed choice; the
Church is in the dark ages; HIV-AIDS cases rise in RP; ad infinitum.
When the 104 anti-RH votes on the second reading dwindled down to 79 on
the third, it seemed most people saw it as the end of the fight between pro-RH
and anti-RH, and accepted without question that it is how things are done in
Philippine politics: whoever is in power and has control of the moneybag gets
his way—how he does it is entirely up
to him.
Jubilant over the RH “win”, a lady senator now hails the President as a
“hero” who has finally “put an end to the divisive issue so that the nation,
united, may move on”. Say that
again—a nation united? Another
lie. As we may have known, a lie
repeated often enough eventually becomes accepted as truth. Meanwhile, are we to forget how the RH victory was won, how the lawmakers yielded to executive
pressure? Do our congressmen serve
the people’s best interests or only their own agenda? Is the Philippines
already a democracy—really? Can we
as ordinary citizens do some “damage control” before this Pied Piper
administration lures more innocents (and rats) to perdition?
One battle won does not mean the war is over. More lies will be spread around in order to destroy the
forces valiantly standing up for justice, truth, and life. Let not the Filipinos be known as a
people of mediocrity. Keep
watch—evil prevails when good people stop being vigilant. And that’s the truth.
