April 2 Rally: We Oppose the Ayala Alabang Ordinance 01 of 2011!
Come gather with us at 9:00 am this Saturday, April 2, 2011, just outside of the Madrigal gate of Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City.
Dear fellow citizens and friends of a FREE and DEMOCRATIC Philippines,
We invite you to join us in solidarity against what is becoming an insidious threat to our civil liberties and to come together to show our government that we oppose this blatant disregard of our civil rights and the Constitution. The proposed ordinance in Brgy. Ayala Alabang was created with the intention of being replicated and enforced in all barangays of the nation.
The barangay council of Barangay Ayala Alabang in alliance with reactionary elements of the Church has conspired to impose an illegal and unjust ordinance on the community. Cloaking their words in platitudes for the unborn, they seek to impose an ordinance that will make the sale of oral contraceptives and IUDs illegal, require a doctor’s prescription for condoms, and allow only natural family planning in the delivery of health services within the barangay.
This ordinance makes it illegal and unlawful for anyone to advertise, sell, offer for free or endorse, promote, prescribe or distributecontraceptives that the council has classified as abortifacients… (Section 6-1 of the ordinance)
In other words, even if one has a prescription for oral contraceptives (given by a doctor OUTSIDE Ayala Alabang, since its is illegal and unlawful for doctors to prescribe the same inside Ayala Alabang) she still can’t buy it from drugstores within Ayala Alabang since it would be illegal and unlawful for them to sell or even carry these items!
The ordinance seeks to usurp the powers of our Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration by setting standards for which devices and drugs should be covered by prescription laws.
It also violates our Constitution by drawing upon Catholic principles, which are unfair to those of us who are not Catholic or Christian. It seeks to penalize those who wish to educate their fellow brothers and sisters about reproductive health.
Finally, the ordinance discriminates against women, because it makes it more difficult for them to access information and tools for them to plan their families, which in itself is a violation of their human rights.
See article by Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas, S.J.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20110314-325310/Furor-over-an-Alabang-ordinance
If they succeed, they will replicate this ordinance in barangays across the country. The process has already begun; 7 barangays in Bataan have passed similar ordinances based directly on the text of the one created in Barangay Ayala Alabang.
See article in The Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 28, 2011
See article in The Wall Street Journal, Asia – MARCH 30, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704559904576231830543885082-lMyQjAxMTAxMDMwMDEzNDAyWj.html#articleTabs=article
An excerpt from this article:
Mr. Sison says the Alabang council could still have the last laugh.
The ordinance, he says, is galvanizing religious conservatives where reformers had been gaining ground. “Other councils are getting in touch with us to ask how they, too, can stop the invasion of these condoms,” he says.
If barangay councils are successful in enacting and enforcing this clearly illegal, discriminatory and unconstitutional ordinance, what’s to stop them from enacting other illegal ordinances?
You can stop this. Join our movement and our silent protests against this wolf in sheep’s clothing, and stand up for our Constitution, for the law, and for the quality of life and rights of all and send this invitation to others.
Come gather with us at 9:00 am this Saturday, April 2, 2011, just outside of the Madrigal gate of Ayala Alabang Village, Muntinlupa City. You’ll find us easily — we will be wearing yellow to plainly show that we strongly oppose this ordinance!
Schedule of succeeding protests will be announced on Saturday.
See you on Saturday!
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About The Author
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado is a Content Strategist with over 16 years experience in blogging, content management, citizen advocacy and media literacy and over 26 years in web development. Otherwise known as @MomBlogger on social media, she believes in making a difference in the lives of her children by advocating social change for social good. She is a co-founder and a member of the editorial board of Blog Watch . She is a resource speaker on media literacy, social media , blogging, digital citizenship, good governance, transparency, parenting, women’s rights and wellness, and cyber safety. Her personal blogs such as aboutmyrecovery.com (parenting) , pinoyfoodblog.com (recipes), techiegadgets.com (gadgets) and benguetarabica.coffee keep her busy outside of Blog Watch. Disclosure: I am an advocate. I am NOT neutral. I will NOT give social media mileage to members of political clans, epal, a previous candidate for the same position and those I believe are a waste of taxpayers' money. I do not support or belong to any political party. I was part of accredited media covering the Office of the Vice President and Leni Robredo as she ran as a presidential aspirant in the 2022 National and local elections. On August 5, 2021, YouTube announced that I was selected as one of 50 Program participants of its Creator Program for Independent Journalists She was a Senior Consultant for ALL media engagements for the PCOO-led Committee on Media Affairs & Strategic Communications (CMASC) under the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council from January 4 -July 5, 2017. Having been an ASEAN advocate since 2011, she has written extensively about the benefits of the ASEAN community and as a region of opportunities on Blog Watch and aboutmyrecovery.com. Organization affiliation includes Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation Updated June 6, 2022