Rh Bill Stand

Colegio de San Juan de Letran

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Institute of Communication

RH Bill, Ateneo and La Salle: Of Lemons and Cowards | Social Responsibility Theory

RH Bill, Ateneo and La Salle: Of Lemons and Cowards

The Varsitarian Editorial

September 30, 2012

I. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) is still an endless issue between the government, the Church, the people and now, even Catholic institutions.

There were various articles published in the September issue of The Varsitarian, the Official Student Publication of the University of Santo Tomas, stating their fidelity to the Catholic mandatum. One was about UST reminding its professors the values of Catholic Teachings, another was about CBCP rejecting RH Bill Amedments, another was about the Teaching of Ethics in UST and how it is not ‘simply academic’, and the one about Intellectual dishonesty and Moral cowardice. A keen observer might notice that all these articles, boils down to one article. It is simply ‘connecting the dots’. “RH Bill, Ateneo and La Salle: Of Lemons and Cowards”, this was the Editorial which did not only create noise inside the vicinity of the University of Santo Tomas, but as well as Catholic institutions, including Ateneo and La Salle.

The article was about the Ateneo de Manila University’s (ADMU) and De La Salle University’s (DLSU) professors who produced statements voicing out their support on the RH Bill. A total of 192 Ateneo professors and 45 La Salle professors expressed their upkeep for the RH Bill. According to the anonymous writer, once a professor applies to teach in a Catholic institution, he/she must get to know the background of that academic body, thus abiding its rules.

The University of Santo Tomas (UST), being known to be the oldest Catholic University in Asia, a Pontifical to be so named, has upheld the stand of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) condemning the Reproductive Health Bill (RH...