THE Commission on Population (Popcom) has expressed objections over a January 17 editorial cartoon of a national broadsheet and is demanding an apology over what it termed as “a barefaced lie.”
In its Letter to the Editor sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), Popcom said it is lamentable how the newspaper went “beyond the boundaries of journalistic criticism” and instead projected that Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law as being equal to the alleged extrajudicial killings.
“The caricature seeks to make a comparison that does not exist: a law that upholds rights compared with purported extrajudicial actions. Does the Inquirer seek to convey the idea that both lead to deaths of Filipinos?” said Popcom.
“To convey the idea that the RH law leads to death is a barefaced lie and has no basis in word or fact,” it added.
Popcom, then, demanded an apology from the PDI for coming out with an editorial cartoon that is far from the truth on the RPRH law.
“At the very least, the Inquirer should apologize for going beyond the boundaries of constructive criticism,” said Popcom.
To note, the PDI published the said editorial cartoon on the heels of the signing of the Executive Order (EO) on “Zero Unmet Need for Family Planning” by President Rodrigo Duterte.
In turn, Popcom assured that the RPRH Law guarantees that human rights will never be violated in its implementation.
“The government agencies concerned have always upheld the Constitution and the RPRH Law. Both guarantee the right of families to raise the number of children they desire in a responsible manner. Induced abortion or the use of abortifacient will never have a place in our family planning program,” said Popcom.
Proof of this, Popcom added, is the fact that the EO has been praised by human rights groups, which are also the critics of the alleged extrajudicial killings. (HDT/VoxPop Philippines)