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We, the undersigned faculty of the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila
University, in our individual capacities as educators and scholars from various academic disciplines,
declare our strong support for the consolidated reproductive health bill (House Bill 4244) and urge its
immediate passage in Congress. We issue this statement because we see the need for our active
engagement in social issues, believing as we do that the academe has a distinct role to play in achieving
social justice and national development.
We have read House Bill 4244 on “Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population
and Development” currently filed in the House of Representatives and have kept abreast of the ongoing
debates. Many of us have been working on reproductive health and its related issues, some of us for
decades. We have undertaken our own studies (literature reviews and analysis, policy studies, empirical
researches, etc.) on reproductive health. Many of us have also participated in legislative processes such
as public hearings and technical working groups.
Our studied and collective opinion is that House Bill 4244 is a vital piece of legislation. Its
passage will mandate policies which will save women’s and men’s lives, improve infant survival, enhance
young people’s health and well-being, and enable couples and individuals to make responsible decisions
in planning their families. We also endorse this bill as a necessary element to achieve the goals of social
equity, poverty reduction, and national development. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that
these goals can be achieved without resorting to population control. Our reading of HB 4244 is that it is
not a population control bill, nor does it violate any other rights and freedoms. HB 4244 in fact promotes
the sexual and reproductive rights, the right to health, and the right to informed decision making of all
Filipinos but especially the poor, in fulfillment of the provisions of our Constitution and our obligations
under international covenants. The passage of a national and comprehensive law will also guarantee
budgetary support from the national government for reproductive health initiatives and ensure their
implementation by local government units, regardless of the vagaries of national and local leadership.
We are issuing this statement because we wish to support those legislators who rely on scientific
evidence when they craft legislative proposals or decide how to vote. Their endorsement of HB 4244 is
an encouraging example of progressive legislation that is necessary to national development.
In this light, we feel the need to comment on the way science has been misused by those who
oppose this bill. We have seen the misrepresentation of easily verifiable information, such as the actual
text of the proposed bill. We have witnessed the misuse of outdated studies, data that have already been
disproven, or studies that cannot be replicated to support what are merely ideological positions. One
example that is particularly dangerous is the lie that condoms do not protect against sexually transmitted
infections including HIV/AIDS. There have also been those who misrepresent extremist positions as the
prevailing consensus of the scientific community. This evidence-based consensus, however, does support
the provision of reproductive health services that include contraceptive access and sexuality education.
It also supports the services for adolescents and children that HB 4244 mandates.
Statement of individual faculty of the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University in support of HB 4244
We are concerned over reports that teachers offer incentives, such as bonus points, for students
to make anti-RH statements or engage in anti-RH activities. We welcome disparate opinions as necessary
to the vitality of any scholarly community. Thus, we believe that it is an abuse of our role as value
formators to dictate the political actions of our students in this way. We denounce any such violations of
our duties to inculcate critical thinking and respect our students’ right to their own opinions. We
denounce this, regardless of whether the teacher is for or against the RH Bill.
We caution our people to be more critical of the data and opinions presented to them and find
out the truth for themselves. We are heartened by polls that show that most Filipinos know of the bill
and support it, and in so doing have shown their capacity for enlightened citizenship.
Together with the legislators who have proven themselves worthy of their mandate by their
support for the bill, we reiterate our full and unequivocal endorsement of HB 4244 and call for its
immediate enactment into law.
Signed: Individual faculty of the University of the Philippines (23 March 2011)
Sylvia Estrada Claudio, MD, Director, Center for Women’s Studies, and Professor, Department of Women and
Development Studies, UP Diliman
Odine de Guzman, Deputy Director for Research and Publication, Center for Women’s Studies, and Associate
Professor, College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman
Maria Theresa D. Ujano-Batangan, Deputy Director for Training and Outreach, Center for Women’s Studies, and
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, UP Diliman
Victor J. Paz, Professor and Director, Archaeological Studies Program, UP Diliman
Carolyn I. Sobritchea, Professor, Asian Center, and former Director, Center for Women’s Studies, UP Diliman
Eduardo Climaco Tadem, Professor of Asian Studies, Asian Center, UP Diliman
Rene Eleazar Ofreneo, Director, Center for Labor Justice (CLJ), Professor and former Dean, School of Labor and
Industrial Relations (SOLAIR), UP Diliman
Rosario Cruz-Lucero, Professor, College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman
Teresita G. Maceda, Professor, College of Arts and Letters, UP Diliman
Dina S. Ocampo, Professor and Dean, College of Education, UP Diliman
Elizabeth Aguiling-Pangalanan, Professor, College of Law, UP Diliman
Gigo A. Alampay, Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, UP Diliman
Carolina S. Ruiz Austria, Senior Lecturer (on study leave), College of Law, UP Diliman
Gwen G. de Vera, Assistant Professor, College of Law, UP Diliman
Robert N. Dio, Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, UP Diliman
Dante B. Gatmaytan, Associate Professor, College of Law, UP Diliman
Ibarra M. Gutierrez III, Associate Professor, College of Law, UP Diliman
Marvic F. Leonen, Professor and Dean, College of Law, UP Diliman
Raul C. Pangalanan, former Dean and Professor, College of Law, UP Diliman
Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr., Professor, College of Law, UP Diliman
Arno V. Sanidad, Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, UP Diliman
Evalyn G. Ursua, Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, UP Diliman
Susan D. Villanueva, Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, UP Diliman
Clarissa C. David, Assistant Professor, College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman
Shirley P. Evidente, Assistant Professor, College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman
Joanna Eunice V. Parungao, Assistant Professor, College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman
Elena E. Pernia, Professor, College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman
Randy Jay Solis, Assistant Professor, College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman
Rolando B. Tolentino, Professor and Dean, College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman
Statement of individual faculty of the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University in support of HB 4244
Signed: Individual faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University (23 March 2011)