Businessmen, are they

Businessmen back birth control despite Catholic Church protest

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines' main business groups on Tuesday declared their support for President Benigno Aquino III's plan to promote birth control, despite strong opposition from the powerful Catholic Church.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and four other major business organisations issued a joint statement following threats by bishops to mount protests against Aquino's population policy.

"We believe 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," it said.

Oh yeah? Why don't you businessmen put your money where your mouth is and donate all the money needed to "provide lowest-cost access" to contraceptive services and materials huh? What's stopping you anyway. You can always donate billions from your hefty profits and you do not even need the RH bill to do that, do you? It's a free country, right?

The business groups also said that it was individuals, rather than outside parties, that should decide whether to use birth control devices. It said that "various parties and interested sectors" – an apparent reference to the church – should only provide guidance and advice.

Of course it is the individuals rather than outside parties who ultimately decides whether to use birth control devices. That is the way it is now, and that is the way it is going to be - with or without the RH bill. What? As if these businessmen are not themselves "giving guidance and advise".

"We strongly believe government must encourage responsible parenthood and promote family planning as a direct strategy for poverty reduction and maternal and child healthcare," the statement said.

And we strongly believe that businessmen should have more corporate social responsibility as a direct strategy to share the wealth around and refrain from scandalous profit-taking at the expense of our poor workers.