Bantayan Island, The Philippines: Community Portrait

As the Head of State insists on staying neutral on the issue of family planning, the lower Government officials are left to battle it out in a never ending discussion consisting of endless rhetoric. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, remains by its stance as a conservative and traditional religious organization. In places, for example such as Bantayan Island, this means however that the ever influential voice of the Catholic Church and what it actually stands for, remains as misunderstood as the Bible itself.

The philosophy of the right to life comes in many forms. As the Catholic Church voices its strong opinion of anti-family planning, anti-contraceptives, anti-sex education, celibacy, these amongst others, it has yet to offer plans that actually support the community and support life. Asian Development Bank figures show that an ignorance in family planning causes for Filipinos with larger families to be poor. The same figures point out that six in ten Filipina women have unwanted pregnancies. Where should those go with six or more children, aging parents and close to no income? What is happening with the (out-of-school) youth who do not pursue an education, do not have a job and in many cases are drugs and alcohol users?

In 2007, a seriously ill 16 year old from Bantayan Island died a painful death in a Cebu City hospital following a rapid deterioration of health. The Catholic hospital refused to give the patient painkillers on religious grounds. The hospitalization, the medication and all related expenses added up to a sum that the family could not afford to pay. They had nowhere to turn to. Not even the Catholic Church.

The boy’s illness and eventual death was diagnosed as Chronic Alcoholism, leading to resentment on the part of the Catholic Church. Not only did it fail to give financial support but came the refusal to provide funeral services. My family’s private pick-up car had to personally pick up the body, upon returning to Bantayan island. As the tradition goes, the car needed to be blessed. A request for payment followed. Only Church appointed people are allowed to work on the Church premises, adding labour costs and causing also for a delay as it took longer than expected to build the grave.

The Catholic Church failed the family as it did not play a supportive role, though it was happy to lend its services in return for money.

As people we make our own decisions but circumstances dictate our choices nonetheless. This having been said, several factors contribute in poor decision making. As it is, with little or no money there is barely any chance to take a deep breath. Though, as people have unspoken responsibilities towards one another, the Catholic Church has a profound responsibility towards people. It needs to think thoroughly about it’s responsibilities. The Philippines prides itself on being a mostly Catholic nation (85% of a population of 90 million is Catholic), thus more is expected from the Catholic Church. It needs to understand the following it has. It is supposed to maintain a solid support system for communities... This is merely the message of Christ to be implemented and passed on…

Kindly take note.

- Scenes & Angles -
(C) Anthony Jake Huiskamp Atienza