Guico advocates “small family”
BINALONAN—The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) led by Mayor Ramon Guico Jr. of this town, president of the LMP with a 1,500-strong membership, and a cousin of President Gloria Arroyo, believes in the slogan “Kung maliit ang pamilya, kayang-kaya”.
The league, however, stops short of endorsing the controversial reproductive health bill that President Arroyo has refused to endorse to this day saying it is up to the people to decide on what family planning methods they will adopt.
Guico, however, admitted the league has helped in the distribution of contraceptives through a program of the United Nations (UN) but he stressed that they respect the freedom of couples to make their own choices in terms of reproductive health.
The UN program is about to terminate and Guico said it is now up to the local government units whether to sustain this.
“If you take a stand, whether you are pro or anti- reproductive health, you will gain enemies. So it’s up to the mayors,” he said.
In Binalonan, Guico said he has stopped giving financial assistance to people for food or school expenses “because it’s as if you are tolerating them if you keep on giving them money,” referring to couples who think nothing of controlling the size of their families.
The better strategy, he said, is to give assistance on livelihood and skills training “so they can spend their time productively”.
He said he knows this could have a backlash in his political career but he hopes his efforts to explain his reasoning will lead the people to understand his stance. #
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
