P4RH (Puso, Puson, Pananampalataya, at Pulitika):
Forum Series on Gender, Reproductive Health, Religion, and Politics
This is a half-day forum conducted to educate the public on reproductive health and religion. From July 2012 to March 2013, C4RH conducted 23 fora attended by 3,748 participants in partnerships with 9 schools, 5 barangays, and 9 civil society organizations.
Specifically, the forum aims to:
- To encourage critical awareness and engagement of citizens in social issues and in the electoral and legislative policy reforms on SRHR
- To clarify misconceptions on RH
- Motivate people into assert their right to RH information and services
9 SCHOOLS:
- (NCR) Philippine Normal University (PNU) College of Arts & Sciences, University of the Philippines (UP) College of Education Diliman, UP Manila-Student Council, Philippine Electronics and Counication Institute of Technology(PECIT);
- (Leyte) UP-Tacloban
- (Eastern Samar) Borongan National Comprehensive High School (HS), Eastern Samar State University (ESSU), Sulat National HS, MacArthur HS
5 BARANGAYS:
- Brgy. Camarin (Caloocan),
- Brgy. Citrus (San Jose),
- Brgy. UP Campus (QC),
- Brgy. Bagong Silang,
- Matandang Balara
9 CSOs:
- Compostela Valley
- Cebu,
- Legaspi,
- Urban Poor (Kadamay), NUSP, GWC, INSA,
- Multi-sectoral Alliance, and KKK
There will be four resource persons who will discuss the following topics:
- Puso – This person represents the “puso ng bayan (village heart/soul)” and will speak in behalf of the local community. Ideally, this person is a respected community leader who is also a Catholic. S/he will talk about the situation in her community, especially the RH situation, and how they have been helped or will be helped by electing someone who champions RH causes. The local activist can also emphasize his own personal beliefs on why Catholics then in good conscience can choose a candidate who is pro-RH.
- Pananampalataya – This person represents the voice of “faith”. The idea is for this person to present an alternative perspective from the religious sector on how Catholics can be guided by their conscience in making their decisions in making decisions.
- Pulitika – This resource person represents the voice of “politics” who will also contextualize the experience of local advocates in championing reproductive health in their locality. An ideal candidate for this is a a locally elected official who will be presenting his/her stand on RH (and why s/he supports it) and his experience – both good and bad – in supporting RH.
- Puson – This resource person represents the voice of the “RH advocate”. S/he will present facts and figures about how Catholics have been voting in the past elections as well as the latest survey results ofhow Catholics view RH as an electoral issue. The intent is by presenting facts we will be able to demystify the mystique of a so called solid and monolithic “Catholic vote”.
Each forum will have a moderator who will welcome the guests, explain the rationale and objective, introduce the speakers, facilitate the Q & A, summarize/synthesize the inputs and relevant discussions (from the Q & A) and close the event by thanking all who participated. The forum is also a great way of promoting C4RH and recruiting new members.
Common Questions:
- Is contraception a sin?
- Is masturbation a sin?
- Will NSV (no scalpel vasectomy) affect virility?
- Are contraceptive pills carcinogenic?
- Will you get infected with HIV & AIDS by kissing or hugging a person?
- You cannot get pregnant if you only do it once, or you wash immediately.
- Condoms have holes.
- You can’t possibly get HIV because you carefully choose your sexual partners.
- AIDS is God’s punishment for men having sex with men.
- RH Law and sexuality education will promote sexual promiscuity particularly among the youth.
There is much to be done in order to clarify misconceptions and change mindsets and behaviours. The use of multi-perspectives in the discussions helps people see the relevance of SRHR and eventually their right to SRHR information and services.