A small pro-life victory at the Senate, for sure. There will be more battles to be fought, however, and we must remain vigilant to make sure that abortifacient contraceptives aren't sneaked in the the RH/Abortion bills or other means.
99% BUDGET CUT
Senators nix P880M for condoms
By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:09:00 12/04/2010
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...0M-for-condoms
MANILA, Philippines—Senators have castrated the Department of Health’s (DOH) budget for contraceptives for distribution to the country’s poor starting next year.
From P880 million, the allocation for the department’s so-called “family health” program was hacked by 99 percent to a mere pittance of P8 million during a budget caucus among senators last Wednesday, Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said on Friday.
The Senate caucus approved the proposed P1.645-trillion national budget on second and third readings later that evening.
Won’t violate Constitution
Sotto said the senators decided to use the bulk of P872 million, which was chopped off from the original DOH proposal, to improve the budget of state universities and colleges and for programs such as scholarships in science and technology institutes.
As a “compromise,” the senators decided to keep P8 million but with the clear instruction that it would be spent only on condoms, according to Sotto.
“We decided to allow the purchase of condoms because it’s the only contraceptive that will not violate our Constitution,” Sotto told the Inquirer, citing the provision protecting the life of the unborn, starting from “conception.”
Sotto said other types of contraceptives in the DOH’s purchase list were abortifacients, which terminate pregnancy from the stage of a fertilized egg.

NO TO THE RH/ABORTION BILLS!
YES TO LIFE.