Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare Inc.

Sex education a hot topic in Olongapo classrooms
Video and text by Pia Faustino, GMANews.TV
07/29/2010 | 04:59 PM

OLONGAPO CITY - Maybe it was the long-time presence of an American community here, or the fact that for decades it hosted one of the largest sex industries in the country. Or the people running the city figured out it was just common sense.

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Population matters
By BERNARDO M. VILLEGAS
July 25, 2010, 11:01am

There are two sides to the oft-used title of this column. The positive side: the size of the population is a tremendous asset, both as a source of manpower and as a base for a domestic market on which the economic growth of a country can be sustained, despite periodic ups and downs in the global market. Without a large population, many of whom have been sufficiently educated through the decades, the Philippines would not be attracting such high-growth sectors as electronic and semiconductor manufacturing and business process outsourcing. It would not have been able to send abroad millions of Filipinos to earn billions of dollars that they remit back to the Philippines. Without a large population, the Philippines would not have been able to avoid a recession in 2009, when most of our neighbors with smaller populations suffered negative growth rates in their GDP. The other two countries in Southeast Asia that avoided a recession are Indonesia and Vietnam, two populous countries with large domestic markets. Indeed, population matters.

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Aquino’s first State of the Nation Address
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 18:10:00 07/26/2010
Filed Under: Politics, Benigno Aquino III, State of the Nation Address (SONA)
(INQUIRER.net is posting the first State of the Nation address of President Benigno Aquino III, which he delivered before Congress on July 26, 2010.)

PANIMULA

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Vice President Jejomar Binay; Chief Justice Renato Corona; Former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; my fellow workers in government; Mga minamahal kong kababayan:

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Bishops push anti-condom drive
by Vito Barcelo

A day before the 15th Congress opens and President Aquino delivers his state-of-the-nation address, the Roman Catholic hierarchy renewed its push for natural family planning, saying that artificial birth control violates Catholic teachings.

In a pastoral letter, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines urged Mr. Aquino to continue the moral legacy of his mother, the late President Corazon Aquino by rejecting policies that promote the widespread use of condoms, pills and other contraceptives.

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Lagman: Minority to cooperate with new regime until...
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:26:00 07/26/2010
Filed Under: Politics, Congress

MANILA, Philippines—Albay Representative Edcel Lagman on Monday said that the minority will continue to support the administration as long as it will not be involved in “partisan adventurism.”

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Aquino retreats on population, FOI bills
by Christine F. Herrera

BARELY an hour after he was proclaimed president-elect, Benigno Simeon Aquino III distanced himself from imposing a national policy on two major issues: reproductive health and freedom of information.

In a press conference immediately after his proclamation Wednesday, Aquino said he would not impose a national policy on population management, a goal of the reproductive health bill that he co-authored.

Instead of supporting the bill, Aquino, a bachelor at 50, said he would push for responsible parenthood and tap the Church to conduct seminars that would produce responsible parents.

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Bishops asked to check out sex educ modules

THE Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday said bishops and critics are welcome to visit schools where sex education will be pilot-tested so they can see for themselves modules to be used by teachers.

"Nakahanda po kaming samahan sila at pwede din po silang makipagtalakayan sa mga magulang at pamayanan dito," said Assistant Secretary Teresita Inciong.

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Catholic church rallies behind Aquino, while citing issues of concern
Posted By The Underground Staff On June 10, 2010 @ 10:14 am

The Catholic church will support the administration of newly elected president Benigno Aquino III, and hopes that he will make good on his promise for change, the news arm of the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines said recently.

CBCP president Bishop Nereo Odchimar issued the statement on its website. Aquino was proclaimed president by the Philippine Congress yesterday and already faces a number of areas of concern that the CBCP has raised this past week.

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RH advocates to President-in-waiting: No to church intervention, please
May 18, 2010 8:10 pm

COTABATO CITY, May 18 - The country's reproductive health advocates are calling on President-in-waiting Sen. Benigno "Nonoy" Aquino to remain firm on his pro-reproductive health stance and never allow too much religious interference in his governance.

This call from RH advocates was raised Tuesday amid warnings from some Catholic leaders on Aquino's stance on RH.

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Gordon still couldn't take it he got only 450,000 votes
By Cathy C. Yamsuan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:42:00 05/19/2010

MANILA, Philippines-A week after the elections, an incredulous Sen. Richard Gordon still could not believe he got less than half a million votes in his run for president.

But he would do it all over again if given the chance, even with the knowledge that he would lose again.

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Help the poor first, Church asks Aquino
By Leila B. Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:08:00 05/18/2010

MANILA, Philippines-The Catholic Church will not hold its peace if it has reason to criticize the apparent President-elect, Benigno Aquino III, a bishop said Tuesday.

But at the same time, the church will support Aquino if he is helps the poor and does something good for the public, according to Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of San Fernando, Pampanga.

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Bishops remind Aquino of Church's stand on RH Bill
By Jerome Aning, Angelo Cabrera
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: May 14, 2010

MANILA, Philippines-Roman Catholic bishops around the country Thursday aired their support for "president-in-waiting" Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III in his promise to fight poverty and corruption, but reminded that the Church's stand on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill would never change.

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Hontiveros, Tatad debate on RH Bill
By Rosemarie Caasi, abs-cbnNEWS.com Halalan 2010 Volunteer | 04/19/2010 12:46 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Two senatorial candidates continued the clash on reproductive health issue during the ABS-CBN's HARAPAN: Mga Isyu ng Bayan debate Sunday night at La Consolacion College, Manila.

Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel of the Liberal Party (LP) and, and former senator Francisco Tatad of the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) were paired against each other to debate on the controversial House Bill 5043, commonly known as the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

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Youth leaders push HIV/AIDS modules
By JENNY F. MANONGDO
April 18, 2010, 3:09pm

Youth leaders have urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to implement the modules for HIV and AIDS in the education system, saying it is a crucial strategy to encourage the young to protect themselves against the virus.

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Villar rejects passage of reproductive health bill
02/26/2010 | 08:11 PM
GMA News.TV

LIPA CITY, Batangas—Nacionalista Party standard bearer Senator Manuel Villar Jr. does not believe that the government's reproductive health program should be forced on the people.

"Against ako sa RH bill. Hindi ako naniniwala na dapat isabatas ang reproductive health program (I'm against the RH bill. I don't believe that the reproductive health program should be made into law)," he told reporters in a press conference in this city after his market visits.

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GMA won't stop Cabral from distributing condoms
By Paolo Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated February 27, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo will not stop Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral from distributing contraceptive pills amid strong opposition from the Catholic Church and other sectors, deputy presidential spokesperson Charito Planas said yesterday.

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