Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Filipino Christmas

By Lilybeth G. Ison

With barely a week before Christmas day, President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday said if only all Filipinos are united, it would make his job easier.

"Well, it makes my job that much easier if we are united in whatever endeavor we have to face. There are problems affecting the world where we cannot be isolated, and we, as a people, we really march forward as one, and then that helps," the President said during the "Bulong Pulungan Forum" held at the Hotel Sofitel, when asked what is his Christmas wish.

He cited the recent passage by Congress of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

The President said the pros and anti-RH should not treat each other as enemies, but rather "as people united by so many ways, amongst them belong to the same race, it should be addressing the concerns of those who have less in life."

"Let us not treat people who have divergent opinions as the enemy. There are no enemies within the country. Between Filipinos, we shouldn't treat each other as the enemy. This (RH) was not a battle where there are victors and losers. This is a battle where the country can be, especially the women and the children, can be victors. We have to work to ensure that everybody is committed to doing that," he stressed.

"Let us move on… to ensure that all the positive attributes of the bill is what happens," he said.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Sonny Coloma, meanwhile, called on anti-RH advocates to work with the government to improve the country's economy and in its poverty alleviation programs.

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