By Jocelyn R. Uy, Christine O. Avendaño
Philippine Daily Inquirer
A network of 100 Catholic lay groups across the country Tuesday geared up for protest actions after President Benigno Aquino III signified he might support Filipino couples who want to limit the number of their children by using contraceptives.
Preliminary consultations among lay leaders, most of whom supported Mr. Aquino in the May elections, will be held in Metro Manila this week, said Fr. Melvin Castro, executive director of the Catholic bishops’ Episcopal Commission on Family and Life.
Castro said the Catholic clergy, including the bishops, would back the lay groups’ actions, but he indicated that such actions would “not be confrontational†with the President.
In Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Mr. Aquino was willing to meet with Church leaders to explain his position on family planning.
Mr. Aquino kicked up a storm last weekend when he said in California at the close of his US visit that while he would not dictate on couples any specific birth control method, his government “might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular methodâ€â€”a remark taken to mean that he was open to giving them contraceptives.
“Our lay leaders, who have their own families, see the need to be very visible in this protest and we respect their freedom,†Castro, pointman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on population matters, said on the phone.
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