Team Pnoy hits ‘Team Patay’ list

ADMINISTRATION-backed candidates on Saturday expressed disappointment over their inclusion in the so-called “Team Patay” (anti-life), a list of senatorial aspirants in favor of the Reproductive Health (RH) law.
 
The Diocese of Bacolod earlier appealed to voters in Negros to junk five of the Team PNoy candidates over their position on the RH law. They are Senators Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Aurora Representative Sonny Angara, and former Akbayan party-list Representative Risa Hontiveros.

Hontiveros said the position of the diocese is a violation of the rule on separation of the Church and the State.
 
“I find it disappointing because the Church should respect the decision of the people and I think they should first give the newly-implemented law a chance,” Hontiveros said.
 
Republic Act 10354 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 was signed by President Benigno Aquino III December of last year.
 
While they respect the Church’s freedom of expression, Angara and Cayetano appealed to them not to resort to name calling.
 
“It’s not proper for them to call us ‘Team Patay’. We fought for the said law because we wanted to improve the quality of lives of the Filipinos,” Angara said in a statement.

“Hindi po siguro ito ang panahon para sa name calling. Hindi po ako Team Patay. Parte po ako ng Team PiTiK o Team Kabuhayan na lumalaban para sa mas mababang presyo, maraming trabaho, at sapat na kita,” Cayetano said.
 
Legarda reassured the Church that there was no provision in the RH law that would allow abortion in the country.

“The RH law is against abortion. Bilang isang ina, bilang babae at bilang Pilipinang senador, minarapat ko na bumoto para sa ating mga mahihirap na kababaihan sa kanayunan. I fully respect their position. I am a devout Catholic. I have high respect for the Catholic Church. God bless,” Legarda said.
 
United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) senatorial candidate Cagayan Representative Jack Enrile, for his part, said that he will stand by his yes vote to the RH bill despite being tagged as an anti-life candidate.  
 
“If I earned the ire of the Catholic Church by voting yes to a bill that will now give women the right to decide for themselves, then so be it. I stand by my vote” Enrile said.
 
The Cagayan lawmaker voted in favor of the enactment of the RH bill despite the vocal opposition of his father, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, to the proposed law.
 
“The reproductive health bill does not kill, hunger does.  There are 20 million Filipinos who are hungry every day. There is a looming world food crisis and in times of crisis, women and children are the most vulnerable. The reproductive health bill empowers women to decide what is best for herself and her family. It makes them and their children less vulnerable,” Enrile argued.
 
Leaders of the influential Catholic Church earlier threatened the so-called Catholic vote against those who will vote in favor of the RH bill while it was pending in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
 
The Diocese of Bacolod meanwhile endorsed the candidacies of “Team Buhay”, the senatorial aspirants who are against the RH law.
 
They are former Las Pinas City Representative Cynthia Villar, and Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel and Antonio Trillanes IV. The three are included in the Team PNoy ticket.
 
Also dubbed as Team Buhay are UNA candidates Representatives JV Ejercito (San Juan) and Mitos Magsaysay (Zambales, and Senator Gringo Honasan. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)