Strategically during the celebration of the International Women’s Day last Monday, women members of the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) went to the headquarters of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in Intramuros, Manila and brought with them basket of condoms. Those women said they wanted to ask bishops to bless the condoms they brought—as if feasible—to dramatize their continued criticism to the Church’s opposition to the approval of the Reproductive Health Bill, which proposes the use taxpayers’ money to purchase contraceptive drugs and tools and make it available to the public as a population management scheme.

Those women are apparently out of their minds for doing the impossible especially after the Department of Health earned the ire of bishops for distributing condoms last Valentine’s Day, which also led the CBCP leadership to call for the ban of the condom advertisements in all forms of media, saying it destroys the moral fiber of the youth as future parents of their own offspring.

Although those women failed to get the attention of the bishops, they nevertheless succeeded in catching the interest of the media considering the timing of their protest. No one can deny that including condom use in these women’s definition of womanhood is something that is worthy of publication.

But did it ever occur to you why an issue related to women, sexuality and moral topic interests a labor party-list group such as PM?

Similar to other labor militant groups like Kilusang Mayo Uno, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines among others, PM is highly visible during rallies that call for the illusive urge for wage hike. They are historically the talk of the town, the banner story of newspapers, and the headlines of newscasts every May 1 when the Philippines celebrate Labor Day.

So if PM is primarily advocating for fair workers’ rights, why does a non-labor issue interest this group? Does the Church’s approval of condom and contraceptive use have a significant effect on the lives of minimum-wage earners?

Logic will tell you that PM, in staging their bold protest before the doorsteps of the CBCP, is not actually begging to reconcile with the Catholic leaders. What they are after is the media mileage their petty drama can earn for them especially as this group is seeking a congressional seat as party-list come May 10 elections. Naturally, the more media coverage they could get will generate more awareness and popularity sans the expenses of campaigning. But the question is, will morally upright Filipinos vote for PM?

***

What does the Partido ng Manggagawa and the Department of Health have in common?

They have lady leaders (PM secretary general Judy Ann Miranda and DOH Secretary Dra. Esperanza Cabral) who both think they are in the forefront of advocating women’s rights when they are in fact ruining it.

***

I once admired Dra. Esperanza Cabral during the aftermath of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng last year. Then the Social Welfare Secretary, Dra. Cabral was an epitome of a woman’s grace under pressure for being able to manage and motivate social workers to come to the aid homeless typhoon victims even if they are victims themselves.

Dra. Cabral was admirable for me until last month when she used funds of the Department of Health to purchase condoms that the agency distributed during Valentine’s Day. Thinking she is doing something that she is mandated to do, Dra. Cabral used taxpayers’ money to purchase contraceptives allegedly to promote awareness and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV-AIDS.

She could perhaps salvage her tainted image if she had used her own money to buy those condoms, not the hard-earned taxpayers’ money she used even without the consent of the tax-paying public that includes me. Dra. Cabral should be reminded that the disputed Reproductive Health Bill, which proposes to make contraception available to the public through taxpayers funds, remains as a dead legislation as of press time.

***

Latest news reported that the Department of Health is eyeing to get the service of a popular celebrity to endorse the use of condoms. I dare her to pay the endorser from her own pocket to somehow prove that she is sincerely after the welfare and health of the Filipino people.

(The author, Kris Bayos, is a woman contrary to what her name suggests. A reporter by profession, she is a very opinionated person who happens to be one of the editors of this website. She is looking forward to comments to this piece.)