Ayaw paawat! (Update on the goings on in Brgy. AAV)

ON March 19, Saturday, a hearing was finally conducted on the controversial ordinance of Brgy. Ayala Alabang prohibiting pharmacies within said barangay from selling contraceptives to customers who don't have a doctor's prescription.

According to former Rep. Ruffy Biazon of Muntinlupa City in his blog The Way It Is, both groups supporting and opposing the ordinance were given time to air their views. According to Biazon, after all the arguments were made, it was pretty clear by the end of the hearing that barangay council should withdraw the ordinance.

However, proponents of the ordinance are up to new tricks, if rumors are to be believed. Biazon also presents the reasons why their new tactics would not, or should not succeed.

In his blog, Biazon says supporters of the ordinance now want to employ the People's Initiative so it can be directly passed by the voters of the area and instituted as law.

"...Republic Act 6735 known as the Initiative and Referendum Act... provided the mechanism on how citizens can 'directly propose, enact, approve or reject, in whole or in part, the Constitution, laws, ordinances, or resolutions passed by any legislative body'.

"Under the said law, any registered voter of may exercise the power of initiative and referendum for laws or ordinances within their jurisdiction. That is, any registered voter may exercise the power to pass a national law or a registered voter in a particular barangay may use the power of initiative and referendum for a barangay ordinance.

"It is this power which proponents of Barangay Ayala Alabang Ordinance No. 1 is rumored to be planning to employ. With the strong possibility that the barangay council will withdraw or water down the ordinance because of the iron-clad arguments against it, they are looking for ways to circumvent the barangay council and hopefully pass the ordinance through their direct action." (Read the rest here.)

Meanwhile, in the interest of fair play, I'm posting the statement of Msgr. Ernesto Joaquin, parish priest of St. James the Great in AAV, kinda explaining why they had to use the Masses on March 6 to distribute petition papers asking for parishioners to support the barangay ordinance.
St James the Great Parish's Statement on Brgy. Ayala Alabang's ordinance vs condoms