buckpago
Established
In a Christian dominated country like philippines, a bill like the Reproductive Health bill where artificial contraceptive and sex education is the main focus is very difficult to pass. The church opposes the bill, saying any contraception that are not “natural” are immoral.
The RH bill aims to educate people on both natural and artificial family planning and make it available in every public hospital and health centers the country. In this way, it lowers the alarming numbers of teenage pregnacy, maternal and newborn mortality, and sexually transmitted diseases. It will also improve public maternal facilities and child and newborn health.
At present, the Philippines has population of 95 million. With a birth rate of 26 births per 1000 population, it is one of the highest in Asia. Jose Fabella Hospital in Manila, one of the busiest maternal public hospital in asia, has an average of 80-100 births per day.
In a country classified as third world, majority of the people in the Philippines are living below poverty line. Without the Reproductive Health bill, artificial contraception is not an option, or at least difficult to sustain for people struggling to live in a 2 USD budget per day.Without an effective system for controlling the ballooning population, the numbers would rise to 115 million in the next 5 years, directly affecting food security, education, jobs, health, and environment.
To date, the RH bill continues to sit on the congress since it was first introduced in 1999. Since then, the issue has been debated by many sectors, and one of the those who openly oppose the bill is the Catholic Church, who uses its influence to bar the bill. However, under the new administration, the number of pro-RH bill politicians increased promisingly, and the issue has been one of the main concerns and a campaign issue of the newly elected president. But many doubt his true stand on the bill, mainly due to his affilliations with the church.
But until the the reproductive health bill is passed or any government measures are put up to stop the gargantuan leap of the population in the country, problems on food, health, education, jobs, poverty and environment will continue to mar the development of the country and will continue to bury many filipinos in poverty.
The RH bill aims to educate people on both natural and artificial family planning and make it available in every public hospital and health centers the country. In this way, it lowers the alarming numbers of teenage pregnacy, maternal and newborn mortality, and sexually transmitted diseases. It will also improve public maternal facilities and child and newborn health.
At present, the Philippines has population of 95 million. With a birth rate of 26 births per 1000 population, it is one of the highest in Asia. Jose Fabella Hospital in Manila, one of the busiest maternal public hospital in asia, has an average of 80-100 births per day.
In a country classified as third world, majority of the people in the Philippines are living below poverty line. Without the Reproductive Health bill, artificial contraception is not an option, or at least difficult to sustain for people struggling to live in a 2 USD budget per day.Without an effective system for controlling the ballooning population, the numbers would rise to 115 million in the next 5 years, directly affecting food security, education, jobs, health, and environment.
To date, the RH bill continues to sit on the congress since it was first introduced in 1999. Since then, the issue has been debated by many sectors, and one of the those who openly oppose the bill is the Catholic Church, who uses its influence to bar the bill. However, under the new administration, the number of pro-RH bill politicians increased promisingly, and the issue has been one of the main concerns and a campaign issue of the newly elected president. But many doubt his true stand on the bill, mainly due to his affilliations with the church.
But until the the reproductive health bill is passed or any government measures are put up to stop the gargantuan leap of the population in the country, problems on food, health, education, jobs, poverty and environment will continue to mar the development of the country and will continue to bury many filipinos in poverty.
raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
very nice. thanks. brings back memories of metro manila.
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
Beautiful, evocative photographs.
That is all I want to say.
That is all I want to say.
LeicaFoReVer
Addicted to Rangefinders
very nice photos on the story!
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
great pictures.
Pablito
coco frío
Great work, keep it up!
Luna
Well-known
Sup Buck! Great job.
user237428934
User deletion pending
I read your story, but where are the photos?
rickp
Well-known
i wish you luck with your efforts to get this important bill passed. your photos will certainly help to explain the necessity.
greetings from hamburg
rick
greetings from hamburg
rick
Freakscene
Obscure member
Great work. I love Manila. I also agree that some population management would make it a much better place for the people who live there.
Marty
Marty
sreed2006
Well-known
Excellent description of the situation, and a great choice of photographs to provide illustration. Very well done.
easyrider
Photo addict
Congratulations! Great photos. Hopefully they will have an impact on the legislators.
user237428934
User deletion pending
I still have a problem to find the photos. I activated signatures and found a link to some kind of blog. But in that link there are three strories, none of them related to the text above. Could you provide a link please?
Edit: solved. I tried to quote the post of the TO and found some IMG-links inside that direct to a https: address. Where I am right now, no https is allowed and filtered away.
Edit: solved. I tried to quote the post of the TO and found some IMG-links inside that direct to a https: address. Where I am right now, no https is allowed and filtered away.
Last edited:
scottwallick
ambition ≥ skill
I really enjoyed this series. Keep at it.
myM8yogi
Well-known
Great photos. Well done. It must have been difficult. You are doing the right thing bringing this issue to the attention of the rest of the world and heaping shame on the impotent legislators and those opposed to such an obviously important bill.
If you can bring yourself to do it, I suggest you photograph a baby laid onto a crucifix.
Such an image would highlight the political decision that has to be made in the modern day Phillipines.
I hope that common sense prevails.
If you can bring yourself to do it, I suggest you photograph a baby laid onto a crucifix.
Such an image would highlight the political decision that has to be made in the modern day Phillipines.
I hope that common sense prevails.
Den
Member
I support the RH Bill and I've been trying to help spread the word about it. I started here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=27617482169&ref=ts
A friend of mine said that she is against the bill because the priest where she attended mass one time said that the RH Bill encourages abortions. The lies and misinformation they spread about this bill are just crazy!
I frequent one of the government hospitals in Quezon City (Philippines) because my girlfriend is an OB Gyne there and I saw how stretched this hospital in taking care of pregnant women. The number of births per day is just staggering!
The population and health problem of the Philippines must be dealt urgently.
Thank you very much for this Buck! Amazing shots!
A friend of mine said that she is against the bill because the priest where she attended mass one time said that the RH Bill encourages abortions. The lies and misinformation they spread about this bill are just crazy!
I frequent one of the government hospitals in Quezon City (Philippines) because my girlfriend is an OB Gyne there and I saw how stretched this hospital in taking care of pregnant women. The number of births per day is just staggering!
The population and health problem of the Philippines must be dealt urgently.
Thank you very much for this Buck! Amazing shots!
PatrickONeill
Well-known
excellent essay, the images are wonderful! good to see a 35mm 1.2 put to good use.
buckpago
Established
thanks guys, perhaps you can also viste my new site:
https://sites.google.com/site/buckpago/
@den: hey there man, where are you here in manila? I live in QC. perhaps we can meet up.
https://sites.google.com/site/buckpago/
@den: hey there man, where are you here in manila? I live in QC. perhaps we can meet up.
Jamie Pillers
Skeptic
WOW... Really Excellent visual story telling. Are you using these to help change policy? Are these the first images you've done, and if so, are you planning to do more? If so, please show them here. Amazing work. Thanks.
Jamie Pillers
Skeptic
Ahh... I just visited your website. Amazing. GREAT work! Are you using the 35mm FL for all of this?