RH issue expected to reach 2013 polls as bishop insists on 'Catholic vote'

With the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill already approved on second reading at the House of Representatives, and with the Senate expected to do the same next week, the Roman Catholic Church, which has been staunchly opposing the bill's passage, is once again bringing the battle to where it will hurt the proponents the most: the elections. With the 2013 midterm elections less than a year away, a Catholic Church official has threatened to name candidates unfit to get the so-called Catholic vote, according to a report on GMA News TV's “News to Go” on Thursday. "Mayroong Catholic vote,” said Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of the Archdiocese of Lipa, dismissing claims that Catholic vote is a myth, “because there are Catholics who vote the Catholic way.” “If they are good Catholics, they would vote people who are promoting Catholic values," Arguelles added in an interview with GMA News' Tina Panganiban-Perez in the report. An estimated 80 percent of the country's population are baptized Catholics. According to Arguelles, Catholic tenets are “what God wants, and what is good for the country.” On claims that the Church is overstepping its boundaries when it comes to state affairs, Arguelles said: “This is not a matter of mere politics. It is a matter of morality. I think it is good for us to intervene because if we will be led by people who are agents of the devil, we are going to Hell." For his part, Dr. Ricardo Boncan, spokesperson for Catholic Vote PH, said: "Any Catholic or non-Catholic candidate who stands up for the ideals of a Christian, moral and ethical stand, based on our guidelines, is a good candidate to be elected into office." Survey says This, despite surveys showing that majority of Filipinos, including Catholics, support the RH bill and will vote based on their own decisions regardless of religion. “There is a Catholic vote. It happens to be pro-RH,” former Health Secretary Alberto Romualdez quoted Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman as saying at a media forum on maternal health care last November 27. Romualdez heads the Catholics for Reproductive Health (C4RH) while Lagman is the primary proponent of the measure at the House of Representatives. Another former Health secretary, Esperanza Cabral, said the surveys proved that many Catholics are indeed pro-RH, contrary to the claims of the Church. "All the surveys have shown that seven to eight of every 10 Filipinos are in favor of reproductive health and the passage of the RH bill. If we actually divide these people into Catholics and non-Catholics, the percentage of Catholics in favor of the RH bill is even greater than the percentage of non-Catholics who are in favor of the RH bill," she said. A Pulse Asia survey in 2010 showed that 69 percent of respondents agreed with the RH bill, while only 7 percent opposed it. The remaining 24 percent could not say if they agree or disagree with the bill. Myth Among those who believe that Catholic vote is a myth is Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who cited the case of a former colleague in proving her point. “In the past, the Catholic Church campaigned against Senator Juan Flavier because as Health secretary, he freely distributed condoms. But Flavier won the elections. Thus, the so-called Catholic vote is a political myth,” Santiago said in a press statement. Ramon Casiple, political analyst at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms, also debunked the existence of a Catholic vote. "There is none, definitely, if you are talking of a national vote," said Casiple on “News to Go,” noting that former President Joseph Estrada won by landslide in 1998 despite the fact that many Church officials campaigned against him. Bicbic Chua, executive director of Catholics for Reproductive Health (C4RH), echoed this. "It is just a myth perpetuated by Catholic personalities/hierachy who want to project themselves as movers and shakers in the political field. What we have is Catholic harassment by conservative hierarchy to pressure our government," she said. Chua noted that in the last elections, many pro-RH advocates won, while those who are against the bill lost. "These conservative 'factions' simply want to assert control over the rest of the Filipino population who are not entirely Catholics. We should not impose our faith to others who do not share it," she said. Catholics for RH bill Since being registered in 2011, the C4RH claims to have mobilized Catholics from various communities in Tacloban, Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Surigao City, Dumaguete, Bicol and in NCR. Chua said there are still more they need to reach, as the recent SWS survey shows majority of Filipinos support the RH bill, and majority of these are Catholics. Chua said they hope to reach more of their fellow Filipino Catholics. Part of the group's mission is to clarify misinformation and misconceptions about reproductive health and the RH bill, such as contraception is intrinsically evil, and you can be excommunicated if you are pro-choice. In 2011, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma refused to meet with the group, saying they were not recognized as Catholics. But Chua said the group believes their advocacy promotes compassion, human rights, and dignity for all. "What is more authentic Catholic Christian than that?" Ateneo's position paper In 2008, individual faculty of the Catholic-run Ateneo de Manila University issued a position paper on the RH bill, saying Catholics can support the bill in good conscience. "We also believe that the provisions of the bill adhere to core principles of Catholic social teaching: the sanctity of human life, the dignity of the human person, the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, integral human development, human rights, and the primacy of conscience," the position paper read. Some Ateneo alumni, however, issued a response to the position paper, which was posted on the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, saying Catholics cannot support the RH bill in good conscience. They said the issue goes beyond, demographics, economics or sociology. "The Church cannot alter the truth about the sanctity of life and the sexual faculty to provide a ready answer to our social dilemma. Catholics whose consciences are good and well formed, and are docile to the honest but firm voice of the Church are bound by conscience not to support the RH Bill," they said. No conflict Chua, however, maintained that their advocacy does not conflict with the teachings of the Church. "All the accusations of the conservative laity are nothing more than biblical quotations taken way out of context or outdated medical information. What surprises us more is the outright misinformation being spouted by the church hierarchy such as demographic winter, immorality, abortionist etc. One only has to read the Bill to see that many of the accusations and obstacles by the conservatives are inaccurate or outright fantastic fabrications," she said. In order to carry out their mission to bring Catholics into full harmony with their faith, C4RH conducts forums and discussions, as well as capacity building activities in terms of answering contentious issues on RH and religious concerns. "We try to provide the different perspectives: medical, political, community-level, and theological so that the participants would be encouraged to open their minds and exercise their free will and conscience in deciding for their health and lives," Chua said. — Carmela G. Lapeña, GMA News