MANILA, Philippines – Five of the largest and most influential business groups issued a statement on Sunday, August 5, joining calls for the immediate passing of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) law.
In their statement entitled “For Responsible Parenthood,” the following business organizations staked their position on a bill that will undergo a crucial vote at the House of Representatives on August 7:
- Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)
- Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX)
- Makati Business Club (MBC)
- Management Association of the Philippines (MAP)
- Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)
The business groups made it clear, however, that while they they are against any measure that “limits free choice, and mandates the means to implement such choice,” they are “unequivocally opposed to any measure that condones abortion in any way.”
They also reiterated the statement of principles on the reproductive health issue that the they issued in October 2010.
In the 2010 joint statement, the five groups declared that they “strongly believe government must encourage responsible parenthood and promote family planning as a direct strategy for poverty reduction and maternal and child healthcare. The active role envisioned for government in the promotion of family planning is in keeping with the expressed desire of a significant majority of Filipinos as manifested in major national surveys.”
The businessmen emphasized the primacy of giving parents the final say on matters of family planning and providing them with the means to realize what they believe is best for their families. “While various parties and interested sectors may provide advice and guidance to parents on alternative choices regarding family size and the means to achieve their desired objective, we believe these are decisions ultimately for the parents themselves to make.”
The groups further added that “such a focused policy of family planning must provide lowest-cost access for the very poor to the services and materials to implement their free and informed choice.”
Survey
Meanwhile, the Makati Business Club shared the results of a survey culled from 86 members who are chief and senior executives in the country, accounting for 11.5% of the club’s total members.
In the survey, club members were asked to respond to a a single question: “Should House Bill 4244 entitled ‘The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011’ be passed into law?”
Among the respondents, 80.2% answered “yes” in support of the passage of HB 4244. Only 18.6% said “no,” and 1.2% gave no answer.
The survey was conducted from August 1 to 3, 2012, via fax and online. – Rappler.com
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