WHO DESERVES YOUR VOTE? Exclusive Interview With JC Delos Reyes (First Of 5)

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Cosmo: What are your thoughts on the RH Bill?

Delos Reyes: Oh, reproductive rights. If reproductive health, on the technical definition, is the physical, mental, and social well-being concerning the reproductive system, my thoughts about it is, it is sex-oriented. The spirit of the law is sex-oriented. The local advocacies that it promotes, including maternal health, better facilities for child bearing, and post-natal care, all that I support. But I personally think that the reproductive health code will not solve that.

If we go to the core of the reproductive health bill, I feel that they just put it there to cloak the real intention of the bill, which is to push for population control. And this I do not agree with. Population control is something that is demanded of us by foreign governments and foreign development agencies. I don't think we're overpopulated. I think there is an over concentration of people in a given area. But...overpopulation; not even NEDA categorically states that we are overpopulated. Besides, it's a myth that has been debunked.

In Olongapo City (and this is one of the reasons why I opposed the reproductive health ordinance there; I was the only one who did), the city planning officer said that we are overpopulated. Olongapo City, Subic Bay, is 900 square kilometers--as big as Singapore. We only have 200,000 people, Singapore has seven million. And Singapore right now has acknowledged their mistake in funding population control. Right now they pay migrants, they give incentives to migrants, they give incentives to married couples because they need more people. And this is the economic aspect why I opposed it.

The moral aspect I mentioned earlier: it's all about respect. If, for example, we want our population reduced and we are 90 million now, how much reduction do we want? Is there a figure? 50 million? 40 million? And the question is, who will we reduce and who is asking us to reduce, or who is saying that we reduce? The subject of all this chemical and mechanical devised population control are the poor people. Ligations, vasectomies, IUDs, pills, condoms--poor people. Ang message tuloy is, 'di ka pwedeng mabuhay dito if you are not materially okay. What is the solution there?

It's not that; it's fighting graft and corruption. The problem there is unequal distribution of wealth. Who owned lands in the Philippines? Substantially, dynasties own lands in the Philippines, because they have political power. These are the same people who say we're over populated, [that] there is no more land for everybody. 'Yun 'yon e, so, I think we leave it up to the couple. Besides, in the constitution, family will [always] be a basic autonomous social institution, [and] marriage will be protected. We leave it up to them to decide the spacing, the extent of how big their family will be. The state [then] focuses on providing, on creating that environment where Filipinos could try ten children, five children, two children. I mean, the government has too many issues to confront, and that issue is dictated; we need not dip our fingers into that.


Cosmo: ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: What would you do to guys who beat up girls?

Delos Reyes: You know we have enough laws, the problem is enforcement. RA 7610, 'di ba, [is] the law that would protect women and children against violence. We have the revised penal code, we have the child abuse law, we have the family code. Or, if ever [it's] to the extent that there is a series of violence already, you could ask for legal separation, it's grounds [for that]. I think we have to educate our people now.

The barangay system should serve as a lifeline for every woman to get aid in cases where there is abuse. Every police precinct should enforce the laws where women could avail of the women's desk. The problem is, the reason we are dysfunctional below is we are dysfunctional above. The only way is [to have] a president who would take these things seriously.

We in Kapatiran, we value the dignity of every Filipino. And so when we say that we would embrace all these issues into the human rights concern, we have to focus on human rights, which is founded on human dignity. So if the president starts that culture where there is a respect for life [in the] government, then it will cascade to the lowest barangay, and domestic violence [becomes] an exception rather than the rule.

Right now talagang that is prevalent, because nga life is cheap in the Philippines. When people watch the impunity and extradition killings, when people see graft and corruption, the message is communicated that issues [that] to them [are as] small as domestic violence will go unresolved; [hence] there is that culture. But if you have a president who is serious in all issues that do violence to the Filipino people, then there would be a different culture. So how will I solve that? We will just have to prosecute; every Filipina should be protected.

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