A Taxpayer Speaks Against The RH Bill

A Taxpayer Speaks Against The RH Bill
By Dennis Yu (dennisjyu@gmail.com)

At my young age, I have already paid a lot of taxes to the Philippine Government. How much? The equivalent of a brand new car! And so I guess the pro-RH legislators should better listen to me.  After all, part of their salary comes from me.

Why am I against the RH? Let me start by saying that a friend of mine has just been diagnosed of cancer. He has no money for the chemotherapy and for the laboratory exams. I thought of the P13
billion (annually, I suppose) that will be spent to implement the RH Bill. Its absurdity dawned on me like the midday sun. The Philippines is a poor country and it wants to spend P13 billion on an ideology pushed by the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the US government through Hillary Clinton and the UN bodies (especially the UN Population Fund).

Why should the government buy condoms when the government hospitals can hardly provide antibiotics? I have been to many public hospitals. I have heard many stories of how patients would have to wait – at the expense of health deterioration – because there were no medicines available.

I don’t agree with the use of contraceptives even if it’s not my money that will be spent on it. But, for the sake of discussion, let’s suppose that contraceptives are necessary. In that case, then let those who propose it spend their own money for it. If they really think that contraceptive is equivalent to “helping the poor”, why don’t they donate contraceptives? What I cannot accept is that they will spend my money – the hundreds of thousands I paid – to something ideological!

I am a taxpayer. I want my money to go to the poor. I want it to be spent in buying antibiotics, Math textbooks, classrooms, farm-to-market roads, etc. I don’t want a single cent of my money to go to condom!

If Lagman, Cayetano, Santiago and company think they are helping the poor by promoting the RH Bill, then let them donate their own money. But these legislators should not force me (because, I repeat, the tax is my money) to buy condoms.

I find it very unfair to pay for someone else’s vice. I’m not a smoker, and I get annoyed when someone smokes near me. In any case, I can tolerate smoking. But what I cannot tolerate is for the smoker to get my money so he can buy his cigarettes! Do you want to smoke? Then spend your money to buy your cigarette. Don’t get my money.

Since the anti-RH and the pro-RH agree in helping the poor (sincerity is another question, of course), why don’t we give just the P13 billion in cold cash directly to the poor? Let’s leave it up to them to decide on how they’ll spend it. If some wants contraceptives, that’s their choice. If others want a sack of rice, instead, nobody should stop them. I’m sure 99% of them will buy rice.

The RH Bill is absurd because it obliges anti-RH taxpayers like me to contribute to something ideological. Without the RH Bill, those taxpayers who are in favor of RH Bill can freely donate contraceptives. But with the RH Bill, anti-RH taxpayers like me have no option not to contribute. I find that unfair.

Shall I stop paying taxes then? If the RH Bill gets approved, I’d have my car back! (1-VIII-2012)