Aquino officials to continue talks with bishops
smaller font larger font print this article email this article to a friend

Published Date: April 20, 2011


THE government said it still wants to continue dialogues with the Catholic Church on the Responsible Parenthood bill even after President Aquino made a strong pitch for its passage despite opposition from the bishops.

However, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda could not say yet whether the bill would be included in the next Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting.

“This is the strongest statement on responsible parenthood (by the President). He just wants to emphasize that his position on the responsible parenthood bill has not changed.

“He believes that information should be disseminated, he believes in the freedom of each individual, of each parent to make a choice based on (available information). A decision based on informed choice – here we don’t have a problem,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda said the bill’s exclusion from the priority bills submitted to Congress during the last LEDAC did not mean the President’s position has changed.

Lacierda said Aquino had met with the bishops before and had told them that they should focus on their commonalities because “admittedly, there would really be differences.”

“That’s why the President said even if we had differences, there was nothing wrong in holding dialogues. So we are working on that, we are working on that after the Holy Week, we’ll have dialogue again with the representatives of the Church and discuss further the things that we have in common,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda said there was no timetable for the passage of the bill but “definitely within” Aquino’s term.

Report from Philippine Star