Throughout the years, I have been critic of the Aquino’s, a powerful family which has had significant influence in Filipino politics dating all the way back to the Malolos Congress at the turn of the century. They are a family which is not short on drama, but always seems to look indefatigable and benevolent when juxtaposed with the mind-boggling corruptness of the country’s main opposition.
However, plaudits are in order and are much deserved for current President Benigno Aquino III who scored landmark victories this past week over two of the country’s most powerful institutions: the big tobacco lobby and the Catholic Church.
On the first point, the country’s Congress was able to pass legislation that would raise taxes on the sale of tobacco and alcohol related products. The added revenue from the tax is expected to be a windfall for the government of a nation where the average adult smokes 1,073 cigarettes per year. According to a report from Bloomberg News, “[the] so-called sin tax will help the country win an investment grade credit rating” as well.
The second part of the twin law requires schools to teach sexual education classes and also authorizes free contraceptives for students and the poor. Similar legislation was just recently passed in France. However, in a country where 80 percent of the citizens affiliate themselves with the Catholic Church, the new law in the Philippines serves as an indication of just how popular President Aquino is.
The bill had previously been rejected three times over the course of fourteen years. Aquino was threatened by Church leaders with excommunication. Even national hero and former champion boxer Manny Pacquiao — who may or may not be suffering from post-concussion like symptoms after his most recent bout — was vehemently against it.
Indeed, opposition was plentiful. From the Bloomberg News report:
In August, more than 9,000 nuns, priests and churchgoers dressed in red held rallies in Manila in an attempt to derail the legislation. The protesters described themselves as pro-life and distributed pamphlets that also denounced divorce and same- sex marriage in addition to the bill.
“Whether or not an individual should live in this world should not be placed in the hands of his fellow men,” boxing champ Pacquiao said during a Congressional debate Dec. 12. “Only God has power over this.”
Imelda Marcos, a Congresswoman and the widow of the late dictator Ferdinand Marco said during the same debate that “any law against natural law, the fundamental law of God, is against God.”
One in five women of reproductive age in the Philippines has an unmet family planning need, the UN Population Fund says, leading to unintended pregnancies. The population is growing 1.7 percent a year, compared with 0.9 percent in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a 2011 UN Population Fund report.
The bill “is unfortunate and tragic,” Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle said after last week’s second reading. “We do not take it as a defeat of truth, for truth shall prevail, especially the truth about human life, marriage and the family.”
Taking on the tobacco lobby is not easy in the Philippines; winning is even more difficult. Aquino knows full well the dangers that comes with the territory being the son of an assassinated politician himself.
Meanwhile, the Church’s inherent philosophy according to its own doctrine is that of support of and protection for the poor. But its statements and actions in developing countries vis-à-vis sexual health has always been fodder for critics who accuse the Vatican of being hypocritical. Some pundits have suggested that the Church’s largesse is not in line with Christ’s message of living humbly and that the Vatican’s assets would be much better put to use by being allocated to poverty reduction in third world countries. Moreover, the Church is a very powerful institution which can sway large blocs of the electorate.
It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to stand up to such entities like the aforementioned two. Aquino deserves praise for being an economically pragmatic political leader, a proponent of social justice, and a voice of reason. In this sense, it’s no wonder he and his Liberal Party enjoy such popular support.
Photo: Quierosaber’s Blog
