Press Release
December 18, 2012

Transcript of Explanation of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano's
"Yes" Vote on the RH Bill

"Kung ano ang iyong itanim, iyon din ang aanihin." This is a principle I live by.

May mga pangamba na ang Reproductive Health (RH) Bill ay magbibigay-daan sa abortion, promiscuity, at magpo-promote ng teenage sex at teenage pregnancy, na ito ay sisira sa mga kasal at sa ating moral values.

Payagan niyo po muna akong magpasalamat sa mga health advocates, ganoon din sa mga pro- at anti-RH Bill advocates. Let me congratulate too the bishops and the clergy who have stood their ground and fought for their beliefs.

Natural lang po na may iba't ibang panig sa isang issue. Oo nga't nakaka-pressure sa ating mga lawmakers kapag ganito kaselan ang bill at aktibong-aktibo ang dalawang panig. Walang kaibahan ito sa Sin Tax bill na habang gustong-gusto mong pakinggan ang mga health advocates, gusto mo ring pakinggan ang mga tobacco farmers. So you just try to do your best to promote the common good.

Mr. President, para maging successful ang mga batas na ating pinapasa, kailangan ang kooperasyon ng lahat. Kaya mas maganda na ang dalawang panig ay aktibo rin, hindi lamang sa mga bills tulad nito kundi sa lahat ng bills tulad ng anti-corruption, sa sugal - legal man o illegal, at sa mga isyu tungkol sa presyo, trabaho at kita.

Doon po sa mga nangangamba na ito ay magbibigay-daan sa abortion, promiscuity, at magpo-promote ng teenage sex at teenage pregnancy, very understandable po ang mga pangambang ito. Pero ang tingin ko po ay mali na ang mga pangambang ito ay mag-uugat sa RH Bill. Wala pang RH Bill, nandito na ang mga problemang ito. Ngayon po ay nararanasan natin ang mga problemang ito at ito ay hindi dahil sa RH Bill.

In fact, the RH Bill seeks to address these problems. Ang mga suliraning ito ay bibigyan ng solusyon ng RH Bill. It will depend very much on those who will implement this and the cooperation of both those for and against the bill.

Kasama ang pagtugon sa problemang pangkalusugan ng mga kababaihan itong RH Bill.

Just to give you the facts:

  • 15 Filipinas die every 24 hours due to pregnancy and childbirth related complications.

  • The Philippines has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Asia according to the 2011 Family Health Survey of the Department of Health (DOH).

  • More than 60% of pregnancies in the country are classified as high risk according to the 2003 National Demographic Health Survey.

  • 2.6 million women would like to plan their families but lack the information and the means to do so according the 2006 Family Planning Survey of the Philippines.

  • 73% of mothers do not want children or want to delay pregnancy

  • But the mean number of children ever born to a Filipina upon reaching the age of 40-49 is four with the average fertility rate of 3.3% in 2008 according to the National Objectives of Health 2011-2016 citing the NSO.

  • 30% of annual births come from adolescent pregnancy according to the DOH, WHO and UNFDA.

Ibig sabihin, Mr. President, may RH Bill man o wala ay kailangan nating harapin ang katotohanang nangyayari ito.

Nagkakaroon po ng misconception na kapag ang bata ay tinuruan tungkol sa sex ay tuturuan natin silang maging promiscuous o sisirain natin ang moral values nila.

Baliktad po ang tingin ko. Kung ituturo natin na hindi para sa bata ang sex o ituturo natin ang ating religious, moral and family values sa ating mga anak, malalaman nila na hindi nila kailangan makipag-sex dahil mahal lang nila ang boyfriend o girlfriend Nila. Marami nang teenagers ang gumagawa nito dahil sa peer pressure o dahil ginagawa na ng iba. samantalang ang iba ay dahil sa takot na baka hiwalayan ng boyfriend kapag hindi sila pumayag.

Many of our children go into this without their parents' knowledge precisely because they lack information. Wala silang makausap tungkol dito, kaya hindi nila malalaman ang tungkol dito. Dahil dito, maraming nabubuntis na hindi naman handa o hindi nila gusto.

Mr. President, if I had a teenage child now, would I like someone to give him or her pills or condoms? Of course, not. Would I want him to engage in premarital sex? Of course, not. But I can only do so much as a parent. Marami po ang nalulusutan ng mga anak. Don't you want your child to have a guidance counselor or a priest, teacher, pastor, an imam, or health center doctor that she can go to?

Sa una maaaring ang sasabihin lang niya ay "Pahingi ng contraceptives." Pero ito ang magiging paraan upang siya ay ma-counsel at masabihan na "Hindi mo man makausap ang magulang mo, ibig sabihin na tama iyang gagawin mo."

I do believe, Mr. President, that religious groups will play an important part in the implementation of this bill, along with the LGUs, teachers, health centers, etc. Malaking bahagi ng solusyon sa mga problemang nabanggit ko ay ang RH Bill. Bakit po?

According to a study by the United Nations, in countries where there are programs for youth sexuality education, the following results are observed among the young people: (1) understanding of proper sexual values is promoted; (2) early initiation into sexual relations is delayed; (3) abstinence before marriage is encouraged; (4) multiple sex partners is avoided; and (5) spread of sexually-transmitted diseases is prevented.

I think we, too, are for this.

We are all for keeping our values, or the values exemplified by Maria Clara. Pero 'yung kanina po na pinag-uusapan, ang issue ng linyang "safe and satisfying sex", alam naman po natin na mayroong mga lenggwahe na bastos o malaswa. Iyon po ang ayaw natin sa bill. If there's a better way of telling a woman that she has the right to enjoy sex, we will use that. Mabuti nga po at "satisfying" lang ang sinabi natin. Dahil kung "enjoyable" ang inilagay natin, mas mataas na standard na iyon.

Natatawa-tawa ang mga lalaki, bakit po? Mababaw kasi sa sex ang lalaki. Makaraos lang ang lalaki, nag-enjoy na. That is not always the case with women. And as I've explained here before, there are still a lot of women who are treated like sex slaves by their husbands. Ang tingin ng mga asawa nila, karapatan nila na mapagbigyan sa sex kahit pagod na pagod na ang babae. 'Yung iba nga, kahit mayroon regla ang mga babae, pipilitin.

So it's so important for men and women, even to those who are under the saya, to also know that they have a right to enjoy this.

We're not talking about premarital sex. We're not talking about sex outside marriage. We are promoting sex within marriage. Now, if in their religion, sex is only for procreation, nasa kanila iyon. What about the teenagers and others who are not minors who want to have sex? We're not promoting that, but we cannot stop it also. And it's a reality. It's happening. The question now is, "How do we address this?"

Mr. President, narinig ko po sa ibang mga kongresista natin noong nagpapaliwanag din sila ng boto, 'yung ilan sa kanila, and with all my respect, ang sinasabi, dahil walo sila sa pamilya o sampu, kung may RH measure dati, wala siguro sila dito. Let me dispel that notion.

Kahit magkaroon ng RH measure, pwede pa ring magkaroon ng sampung anak ang mag-asawa kung gusto nila. It's really up to them. If they want 4-10 or even 15 children, it's up to them. But this time around, they're given a choice to plan their own family.

Baliktad pa nga, Mr. Chair. Kung may RH measure dati, hindi siguro labing-isa o labing-limang babae ang namamatay araw-araw.

Mr. President, we can only solve this problem with a sense of community. So let me encourage all religious groups to please help us train all those who need to be trained.

Let me make my personal assurance also that nothing in this bill will stop any person from following his own religion.

An example I can give you is the Code of Muslim Personal Laws. Sa ating mga Kristiyano, bawal ang may mahigit isang asawa. Ngunit sa mga Muslim, pwede ito sa kanilang batas. Nirerespeto natin ang mga kapatid nating Muslim. Hindi tayo nag-rally, hindi tayo nag-advocate, hindi natin sinabing huwag silang bigyan ng ganitong batas. Nasa isang tao ang desisyon kung gusto niyang mag-convert sa Islam.

Ganito din sa bill na ito. Kapag naipasa ito at naniniwala kayo sa turo ng inyong simbahan na nagsasabing huwag gumamit ng contraceptive, nasa inyo iyon. That's your religion, we will respect that. Kung ituturo ng religion mo na pwede ito at gusto mong gamitin, it will be made available.

Finally, I have seen the amendments, and let me assure everyone that if I am part of the Bicam, we will fight for not only the right of those who are married to protect marriages. The bill is not perfect but it reflects a health incentive to those who are married and to those who want to engage in sex but are not married.

I vote "Yes".

Thank you, Mr. President.

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