***The worldwide campaign by the Vatican against the forthcoming international conference on population and development took a spectacular form in The Philippines, when the Archbishop of Manila persuaded hundreds of thousands of people to take to the streets in protest. The demonstration was also the result of a clash between Church and State in Asia's only predominantly Catholic country. ***

THE estimated 250.000 people who assembled in Manila to hear Cardinal Sin. leader of the Catholic Church in The Philippines, preach against abortion, artificial contraception and other evils was the biggest since he summoned millions to the streets in the "people power" revolution to oust dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Despite the size of the crowd, however, this August’s massive protest may not prove the unalloyed success of the previous rally.

The demonstration was part of a worldwide attempt by the Va'tican to mobilise opinion against the international conference on population which takes place in Cairo from September 5 to 13.

Domestically, it was an attempt to derail President Fidel Ramos’ commitment to con-Traception In the face of the country's rapid population growth — about 2.5 per cent a year — which Ramos believes is blocking the Philippines' efforts to become an Asian economic "Tiger."

But there are suspicions that the Archbishop is using the Cairo issue to recoup his own reduced prestige and influence.

Sin lost clout when he backed the wrong candidate in the 1992 election in which Ramos who became the first Protestant president in Asia's only predominantly Catholic country.

The government s clear line that it respects the rights of individuals to use any family planning method except abortion comes in the wake of years of dithering and policy changes over contraception, with most administrations unwilling to confront the Church over the issue.

The Church supports only the natural or rhythm method. The government's challenge to the Church to set up "rhythm" clinics to teach villagers how to use the method, has been met by silence from the Irish

The Church also oppose a government drive fm the use

of > ondoms to combat the spo-id of the disease AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

National surveys have Indicated that the Church is losing influence on family planning, and indeed on other issues. Many Filipinos have Indicated a desire for birth control and only a minority oppose artificial contraception. Militant women's groups have been vocal in criticising the Church and the government for failing to address the problem of unsafe abortions.

A statement by more than 20 women's organisations noted that while women are most affected by the dispute between the Church hierarchy and the government over population policy, "they do not bother to listen to what we have to say."

It condemned the "viciousness and moral terrorism employed by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, and the insensitivity of government to the realties of women who have undergone abortion.

should be held accountable lor the thousands of lives lost due o unsafe abortion practices."

Although abortion is illegal. Florence Tadiar, a professor at the University of the Philippin es College of Public Health, says the problem is more widespread than many people realise.

A Philippine study submitted to the World Health Organization In 1987 estimated that between 155,000 and 750,000 abortions are carried out every year.

The government does not and will not back abortion but supports many parts of the proposed Cairo declaration, which proponents see as a lurning point for the rights of women around the world and the Vatican views as a challenge to its doctrine on the sanctity of life and family.

The Philippines has reasons to support lhe Cairo document. which could lead to more pledges of funding for family planning programmes. The health department receives no support from the national budget for family planning or for its anti-AlDS cam-' paign. Almost all funding comes from US or European governments or foreign nongovernment organisations.

fn an effort to. diffuse Church-State tension, officials and bishops met for two days in mid-August and agreed a draft statement for the Philippine delegation to Cairo.

The government made no fundamental concessions and the draft merely highlights the Church’s main1 two concerns: that the Philippines is emphatically against abortion in family planning and upholds the family and marriage as the foundations of society.

The on-going debate in the country reached a climax jusl as the Manila-based Asian

Development Bank put aside O'er 20 years of reticence to adopt a population policy aimed at reducing fertility rates In the Asia-Pacific region. A Bank population policy paper says the Asia-Pacific region will add around one billion people

within the next 25 years

To help governments slow this growth, the Bank lias adopted a three-pronged strategy: women s education enhancement of women s welfare by protecting their repro ductlve health and rights, and

provision of better family planning services

rhe Bank also announced that it had begun a campaign to raise awareness among member countries on the threat of AIDS. It will run . workshops to warn members about the social and economic . atastrophe that the disease Is wreaking in Asia

— GEMINI NEWS

ABBY TAN is a Singatxtrean journalist. based in Manila since 1977. specialising in economic and political allatrs.