First, let me extend a very warm welcome to the many new Filipino readers that have discovered this blog in the past 24 hours. My husband is from Australia, so I do get down to that part of the world on occasion and I hope to visit your beautiful country at some point in the future.
It is great to have you here, although the circumstances of our meeting are, to say the least, unusual.
It seems one of your esteemed Senators, Tito Sotto, plagiarized a blog post I wrote on February 23, 2011 entitled How The Pill Can Harm Your Future Child’s Health, lifting entire sections of the article basically word for word that was delivered in a speech to the Senate Floor regarding the possible passage of the highly controversial Reproductive Health Bill.
What’s worse, Senator Sotto is denying the charge of plagiarism, saying in an interview with ABS-CBN:
“Why would I quote the blogger? I was quoting Natasha McBride.”
Nice touch Senator. You almost had me convinced you were a nice guy with the tears and all.
Many of your citizens have emailed me assuring me that was a put on, and I’m starting to think they are right.
A thief is a thief, Mr. Senator. Denying it doesn’t get you off the hook; it just makes you a lying thief.
On the bright side, I am thrilled that your lapse of moral judgment has brought much-needed attention to the fact that the birth control pill can have devastating consequences to a woman’s long term health and possibly those of her children and even grandchildren. Gut dysbiosis is a serious condition that has multi-generational consequences that women need to be educated about and completely aware of before making the very personal decision to use them.
It was indeed brave of you to take this controversial position. Kudos to you for that.
By the way, I am truly sorry for the loss of your son.
As the mother of two sons myself, I can only imagine the pain and devastation you have felt from such an experience.
While this has been a highly charged and hopefully enlightening experience for all involved, it’s time now to set the drama aside and get back to fighting the good fight by continuing to educate people about how their food and pharma choices affect not only themselves but also those they dearly love.
And although my attorney will likely try to persuade me otherwise, for now I’m moving on as I’ve got work to do.
Women of the Philippines: I am terribly sorry my blog was used and twisted against you. You deserve the choice to use The Pill if you want or need to based on your particular circumstances. While I want you to know that this choice has health consequences as does the decision to use any pharmaceutical drug, I in no way would ever condone taking this choice away from you! Mabuhay!
I am a Filipina but I strongly agree that what Sen. Tito Sotto’s staff did is plagiarism and that Mr.Villacorta’s reaction/message is not the best of what an esteemed attorney could have said, instead of showing modesty and regret. If this be sufficient, please let me apologize in my countrymen’s behalf. Thank you.
It’s a free country……..
You can do what you want!
happy birthday bossing, mwah mwah tsup tsup!
Hi Sarah,
I use contraception myself but am now seriously reconsidering it, based on what I’ve learned here. Still, like you, I think it’s highly personal and the choice to use the pill or not should not be taken away from a woman.
Again, like many others here, please accept our humblest apologies for this unfortunate incident. I assure you there are many morally upright, intelligent people in this beautiful country of ours. You are more than welcome to visit us any time.
Cheers!
Melody
Hi Sarah, On behalf of our stupid senator im humbly asking for your forgiveness. Please dont think that all Filipinos are like him and his staff.
Anyway I was visiting your blog since yesterday when your name was all over the news in manila. I must say this is a good site. Its been two days since I started reading the contents of your blog and I’ve already learned a lot.
Thanks!
Your number one fan
PS. Most of us are on your side.
pride 🙁
We’re so sorry. So gracious of you, Sarah. Mabuhay ka! 🙂
“dear sarah;
a blog is meant to be shared and we shared.” -Mr. Villacorta
I honestly doubt that he is from the office of Senator Sotto. I’m giving this self-proclaimed lawyer the benefit of the doubt. I do hope he is NOT because if he really is, then I can say that I am totally disappointed. A true lawyer representing a public official who holds a high position in government can really do and write better than that. This Mr. Villacorta just proved how incompetent, mediocre and lazy Sen Sotto and his staff are when it comes to research in opposing the very beneficial RH Bill. I agree with command responsibility, as a leader you have to own up to your actions. Sen Sotto is NOT a 6th grader who needs to be defended by his parent or teacher. Take responsibility, face the consequences. Be a real man. There is no denying that Sen Sotto was so confident and proud to show to the world his emotional and conspiracy-based speeches finding out later that some parts were stolen from another person’s mind. It was an obvious gross negligence on the part of the good Senator. Sadly, he is not man and professional enough to own it himself. And adding to the sinking ship of him is this so-called lawyer who can’t even write better than his boss. By the way this lawyer wrote his ‘apology’ comment, I can be convinced that he is part of Sen Sotto’s staff.
I can only shake my head.
NJay Maldito
Pro-RH
Pro-Life
Pro-Smart People (but willing to help and educate some not-so-smart-peeps too)
Pro-RH? Pro-Life? Really? It isn’t possible. You cannot be Pro RH and Pro Life at the same time. That is impossible and immoral. This is not only about conraception, it’s about forced sterilization and forced population control – read about the Chinese, who are forced to abort their children in the name of population control. Ask them if they like the RH bill when women are laying lifeless next to their 8month gestation, forced aborted children! This is not just about plagarism or thievery – this is about LIFE and the RH bill must be defeated!
Ignorance.
The bill in no way endorses abortion. It reaffirms its illegality, actually.
DO yourself a favor and educate yourself. The bill is free to view online. Read first before you embarrass yourself more.
Kevin, it is not ignorance, it is providence. When a country is infiltrated by the WHO and the UN trying to kill their babies through contraception, sterilization and abortion, they don’t come in with the entire truth, they come in the name of “choice” slowly and methodically. Instead of targeting the poor and their children, why dont they help the government feed these people and teach them to be self-sustaining? Do you know why? Because that isn’t their goal, their goal is to limit and control people of color. The WHO and the UN are constantly focused on Africa and the Philipines, where the people are naturally pro life and pro family. They know what they’re doing and they know how they’re doing it and if you want to talk about ignorance, try looking in the mirror – because either you’re ignorant of the goals of these ProAborts infiltrating moral countries or you are one of them and want to kill off people of color in the name of choice – neither is good!
It is not the job of the WHO or the UN to feed the poor- that would just be treating a symptom. They are trying to deal with the cause. The lack of family planning is the root of all of this. People need to be educated or else they would fall prey to the kind of paranoid idiocy that you are spouting. Where is your proof of this so-called conspiracy? You try to make choice sound like a bad thing- but it is not! The freedom to choose-FREE WILL- is one of God’s gifts to humanity.
Oh my, you’re narrow minded and galactically stupid..
RosalindaL
Just curious, do you have a first hand experience of being in a very disadvantage situation? like not having something to eat before going to bed as well as the next day, when you wake up? can you feel the hardship of having to feed more than 5 children everyday?
What the author of this blog and the most advocates of the RH Bill are trying to highlight is EDUCATION. When a person is educated about something s/he can make an INFORMED decision.
have you been to a developed country? have you experienced the life they have?
If you would take the effort to educate yourself, even just to experience the 2 worlds, you would appreciate this RH Bill information.
The UN and WHO are trying to kill our babies through contraception and sterilization? That’s quite a logical leap. Contraception by definition prevents conception, while sterilization makes it impossible to conceive. No conception, no birth, no baby. I believe life begins at fertilization and therefore abortion is tantamount to murder. However, I’m all for responsible parenthood. I don’t know how many babies have been killed by contraception and sterilization, if any, but I’m going out on a logical limb here and say a lot more babies and mothers have died from lack of information and access to contraception, and from poverty and negligence.
Please stop embarrassing yourself and READ the RH bill before you condemn it. There is nothing about FORCED sterilization or FORCED abortion. On the contrary, it is about giving adult women an INFORMED CHOICE. The RH bill is designed to combat the kind of ignorance and misinformation that you just displayed here now.
You are absolutely right, Free Will is a gift from God, but this bill does not promote free will. A law does not have to pass for the government to educate her people. The reason a law has to pass in this case is so the government can control her people! The RH bill is unnecessary and will be used against the people once it’s passed. And how convenient that it isn’t the JOB of the WHO or the UN to feed and educate people, but it IS their job to hand out contraception, sterilizations and abortions? Really? Give me a break!
Yes, because feeding and educating children is the job of the PARENTS. They are the ones who should take responsibility for their actions. Or are you advocating a free pass for people who do not PLAN and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for their actions? As I said, the WHO and UN are trying to deal with the ROOT cause and not the symptom- because that is the best way to deal with the problem caused by parents who have children they can’t afford to feed and care for!
Are you for real? I don’t think you’ve even read the bill. Your comments are laughable.
RosalindaL, maybe you can take a different stance in fighting against the RH Bill since throwing a wrench, which is morality and abortion issues, at the pro-RH people will not work. The RH Bill is redundant in the area of right to information since that is already part and parcel of the Magna Carta for Women. As always, the problem is with implementation.
Many of the pro-RH people are banking on information dissemination to inform the “poor” of reproductive health. Even as an anti-RH, I agree to this since knowledge is and will always be a key to survival. Why am I against the RH bill then? I am against it since the funds of the Filipino people will be corrupted through the bill by such clauses that require the import of contraceptives to support the RH “law” implementation. Again, such clauses that require public organizations to push information to all women is available and just needs to be pushed more efficiently. Funds should be used for that instead.
Have you even read the bill??
Oh my, as I continue reading your comments, I am more and more convinced of how stupid you are. If you want to debate about the bill, go to a different forum where it is the topic. This post is about how your favorite senator stole someone else’s idea and deliberately omitted the credit. Anyone who went to school would know that this is unacceptable and yes I don’t expect you to understand. And oh, this is definitely about plagiarism. Now run along, self-righteous ignorant hypocrite.
Dear RosalindaL,
I don’t get the point why you reacted that way on my comment signature as Pro-RH and Pro-Life when in fact my whole comment post has nothing to do with RH Bill itself. Really? as in for real? You want me to abide on how you view people who consider themselves as Pro-RH and at the same time Pro-Life? Please don’t go there. I am in no way under your authority.
Your term use like forced sterilization and forced population control shows how misinformed and blinded you are. No, no ,no, I will not read about the Chinese and a big no no no again, I will not ask them because they are in no way related to the issues regarding reproductive health in our country.
I won’t enter to the debate door that you just opened for one obvious reason that this is not the right blog site to do such.
Again.
NJay Maldito
Pro-RH
Pro-Life
Pro-Quality Life
Pro-Smart People (but willing to help and educate some not-so-smart-peeps too like RosalindaL)
Yes, it’s possible.
Being Pro-Life is not just about giving birth. It is also about making sure that the life which exists is given due respect and ensuring that life that is yet to be will do so under better conditions.
Since you are obviously one of those who have not read the Bill yet, then I will give you some sample provisions and then you tell me if they are against Life.
DECLARATION OF POLICY
The State recognizes and guarantees the exercise of the universal basic human right to reproductive health by all persons, particularly of parents, couples and women, consistent with their religious convictions, cultural beliefs and the demands of responsible parenthood. Toward this end, there shall be no discrimination against any person on grounds of sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities, political affiliation and ethnicity.
SEC. 8. Maternal and Newborn Health Care in Crisis Situations
The LGUs and the DOH shall ensure that a Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for reproductive health, including maternal and neonatal health care kits and services as defined by the DOH, will be given proper attention in crisis situations such as disasters and humanitarian crises. MISP shall become part of all responses by national agencies at the onset of crisis and emergencies.
Temporary facilities such as evacuation centers and refugee camps shall be equipped to respond to the special needs in the following situations: normal and complicated deliveries, pregnancy complications, miscarriage and post-abortion complications, spread of HIV/AIDS and STIs, and sexual and gender-based violence.
SEC. 14. Benefits for Serious and Life-Threatening Reproductive Health Conditions
All serious and life threatening reproductive health conditions such as HIV and AIDS, breast and reproductive tract cancers, obstetric complications, menopausal and post-menopausal related conditions shall be given the maximum benefits as provided by PhilHealth programs.
SEC. 15. Mobile Health Care Service
Each Congressional District may be provided with at least one (1) Mobile Health Care Service (MHCS) in the form of a van or other means of transportation appropriate to coastal or mountainous areas. The MHCS shall deliver health care supplies and services to constituents, more particularly to the poor and needy, and shall be used to disseminate knowledge and information on reproductive health. The purchase of the MHCS may be funded from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of each congressional district. The operation and maintenance of the MHCS shall be operated by skilled health providers and adequately equipped with a wide range of reproductive health care materials and information dissemination devices and equipment, the latter including, but not limited to, a television set for audiovisual presentations. All MHCS shall be operated by a focal city or municipality within a congressional district.
SEC. 16. Mandatory Age-Appropriate Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education
Age-appropriate Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education shall be taught by adequately trained teachers in formal and non-formal educational system starting from Grade Five up to Fourth Year High School using life skills and other approaches.
[of which some are]:
-(a) Values formation;
-(b) Knowledge and skills in self protection against discrimination, sexual violence and abuse, and teen pregnancy; (VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE YOUNG ONES)
-(c) Physical, social and emotional changes in adolescents;
-(d) Children’s and women’s rights;
And so on….
AND JUST IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING:
SEC. 20. Ideal Family Size
The State shall assist couples, parents and individuals to achieve their desired family size within the context of responsible parenthood for sustainable development and encourage them to have two children as the ideal family size. Attaining the ideal family size is neither mandatory nor compulsory. No punitive action shall be imposed on parents having more than two children.
[11 May, 2011, Complete Reproductive Health Bill Text, accessed from
So, YES. These are Pro-Life provisions. And in case you didn’t know: One, abortion is a no-no under the 1987 Constitution – something which I think still needs to be challenged, but I will not get into that here; Two, the scenario you outlined looks like more a product of cruelty than of willful abortion. FYI, as stated in Section 20, there will be no punitive action taken against those who have more than two children. The case in China is a form of punishment, something which I believe people here in the Phils, pro or anti RH, would be humane enough to protest. Hindi tayo t*nga or manhid. We know what the RH really says and it’s not about killing life as in the case you just mentioned. Kung umabot man sa punto na yun, un ay hindi na tama and we know enough to protest THAT – but not the entire RH Bill as it stands today, at this moment. THE RH Bill that is actually being debated upon here in Philippine soil. Read, read and read again. Enough said.
Dear Sarah,
No need to apologize. Sorry those guys are jerks! Thanks for sticking it to them!
Love,
Woman from the PH
Thank you for engaging the public on the issue in a very open and respectful way. We hope some of our clerical and political leaders who share your position against “the pill” would argue for their case like you do.
Cheers!
Hi Sarah,
At least we’ve learned about your blog. It’s really informative. 🙂
As for the senator, you might need to consider changing your chief of staff if indeed he’s the one who just posted on your behalf.