DAVAO, Philippines: The Philippines' president-elect said Monday he would aggressively promote artificial birth control in the country even at the risk of getting in a fight with the dominant Catholic church, which staunchly opposes the use of contraceptives.
Rodrigo Duterte, who is to be sworn to the presidency on Thursday, said having many children has driven families deeper into poverty, and he reiterated his recommendation for Filipinos to have three at most.
Known for his profanity-laden speeches, Duterte jokingly threatened to have penises of defiant men chopped off and cited his family planning program as a longtime mayor in southern Davao city, where he has offered cash rewards to villagers who volunteer to undergo free vasectomy or ligation and to doctors who perform the procedures.
“I will reinstall the program of family planning. Three’s enough,” Duterte said in a speech after a flag-raising ceremony in front of the Davao city hall. “I’ve also been colliding with the church because it’s no longer realistic.”
It was not clear if Duterte would replicate the reward system nationwide.
Duterte praised former President Fidel Ramos, who backed his presidential candidacy, for courageously promoting contraceptives as the country’s first Protestant leader starting in 1992.
Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, also figured in a high-profile spat with the Catholic church for signing a 2012 reproductive health law that allowed the government to finance the acquisition and distribution of contraceptives after overcoming a legal challenge by opponents.
Many politicians have tried to avoid colliding with influential Catholic bishops in the Philippines in the past by taking a vague position or not aggressively advocating contraceptives use.
Catholic leaders considered the law an attack on the church’s core values. Aquino’s government said it helped the poor manage their number of children in a country that has one of Asia’s fastest-growing populations.
Duterte has had an adversarial relation with the church. During the campaign, Duterte had a tiff with Catholic bishops after cursing Pope Francis due to a monstrous traffic jam during the papal visit in January last year.
Last month, Duterte blasted the local Catholic church as “the most hypocritical institution” and accused some of its bishops of asking for favors from politicians.
Philippines' president-elect ready to clash with Catholic church on birth control
Philippines' president-elect ready to clash with Catholic church on birth control
South African diamond mining company says 5 trapped miners presumed dead and files for liquidation
- The incident occurred in the early hours of Feb. 17 at the Ekapa Mine in Kimberley
- “This marks the end of 158 years of continuous diamond mining in Kimberley,” CEO Jahn Hohne said
JOHANNESBURG: Five miners who were trapped last week after a mudslide flooded a shaft remain unaccounted for and are “now presumed deceased,” the owners of the diamond mining company in South Africa said Wednesday, announcing that it had filed for liquidation and shut the mine.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Feb. 17 at the Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, the capital of Northern Cape province, when a sudden surge of water, mud and rock in minutes inundated an underground section of the mine, blocking access to its lowest mining level, around 800 meters (half a mile) underground.
The mine owners, Ekapa Resources and Ekapa Minerals, said despite rescue efforts that included drilling and assessments by specialist teams conditions were confirmed to be unsurvivable as tunnels were filled with mud and water with no signs of life. A search operation is ongoing.
At the same time, the owners announced the immediate closure of the mine where the incident occurred and petitioned the courts to be placed in liquidation.
The decision came after an internal evaluation found that, given the protracted worldwide diamond market downturn, exacerbated by the recent tragedy, the company is unable to continue meeting its financial responsibilities, it said.
“This marks the end of 158 years of continuous diamond mining in Kimberley,” CEO Jahn Hohne said in a statement. “A legacy the company acknowledges with humility and respect.”
The National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa (Numsa), considered the largest single trade union in South Africa, told the state broadcaster it was “shocked” by the move, which puts the jobs of about 1,200 workers at risk. The union said it would be meeting with its legal teams to discuss a course of action to possibly block the liquidation.
“The situation is very devastating,” Numsa Kimberley organizer Lerato Mohatlane told the SABC. “If the mine is indeed liquidated, it is clear that all the 1,200 workers will then lose their jobs.”
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said it is set to meet with the firm and be briefed on what has transpired and ways forward.
South Africa is among the world’s biggest producers of diamonds and gold, and the top producer of platinum.
