BY GERARD NAVAL

MANILA auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo yesterday scored President Arroyo for not exerting efforts to stop her allies at the House from approving the proposed reproductive health bill.

He said Arroyo could just be mouthing the Catholic Church’s line of supporting only natural methods of family planning.

If she is really in support of the natural methods, she would have exerted the same efforts on her House allies as she did when unpopular measures like expanded value-added tax and anti-terrorism bills were then pending at the House, he said.

"Possible na sa salita niya lang yun (promotion of natural method), pero sa totoo, hindi naman ganyan yung (position) niya kasi kung talagang gugustuhin niya, gaya ng ibang mga unpopular na batas, napilit din (maipasa)," Pabillo said.   Pabillo said this is one of the reasons the bishops are not banking on Arroyo to veto the measure in case the measure, which allows the use of artificial contraceptives, is approved by the House.

"Minsan yung kanyang mga desisyon hindi din ayon sa totoo kundi ayon sa political climate," he said.

Arroyo announced her support for the Church stand in her state of the nation address in July.