The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Monday called on President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III to listen to the call of the Church  for government to stop promoting a “contraceptive mentality.”

“We, bishops from all over the country, call on President Aquino to listen to the call of the Philippine Church that the former program of the government to promote a contraceptive mentality through education and medical practices is immoral and will not bring about good to the Filipino people,” said Tandahg Bishop Nereo Odchimar, CBCP president, in a statement.

The statement was released at the conclusion of the CBCP’s 101st Plenary Assembly at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Paco, Manila, where they discussed different issues in the country besides those that strictly concern governance in the Church.

The Bishops released the statement greatly encouraged by the speech of Aquino during his inauguration last June 30 at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, where he promised to listen more to the people.

“We are greatly encouraged in the inaugural speech of new president Mr. Benigno Simeon Aquino III when he declared that he will listen more to the people because ‘kayo ang boss ko’,” Odchimar said.

“With the new government, we, bishops, join the Filipino people in the hope that there will be changes that will truly bring good governance to the country,” he said.

Odchimar said the Church hopes the changes promised by the President would bring about lead to a people that are God-fearing, holding on to the sacredness of sexuality, life and the family.

Other issues discussed by the bishops were climate change, large-scale mining and logging, environmental degradation, sustainable agriculture, natural family planning, reproductive health bills, sex education, HIV-AIDS, human rights, post-election analysis and media ministry among others.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Armin Luistro who also attended the plenary assembly, said he was willing to broker talks between the people pushing for sex education and the CBCP.

“My role really is to serve as a bridge... and I’m happy that the bishops are also open to a dialogue,” Luistro told reporters in an interview.

“I think there won’t be a problem if different groups will hold a dialogue because the bishops are also open to that,” he said.

Luistro was at the CBCP assembly to listen to the sentiments of the bishops regarding the sex education program in public schools particularly about the sex education modules.

He said the bishops are not totally opposed to the idea of including sex education in schools as long as it is based on values just like in Catholic schools.

Bishops earlier opposed sex education in schools saying the matter should better be left to parents.

At the same time, the Catholic Church is mulling its own module to serve as an alternative to the sex education modules of the Department of Education (DepEd), said Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto.

Aniceto, chairman of the CBPC Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (CBCP-ECFL), said they are currently in the process of studying the sex education modules of the DepEd so they can come out with alternative modules. “We are seriously reviewing them and we will consult our consultants so that we can also present our own alternative modules,” he told reporters in an interview.

The bishops met with Luistro to discuss, among others, the issue of sex education program in public schools.

Aniceto stressed that the Church is not against sex education as long as it is being given by the right person.

“It’s not against sex education as long as it is given by the right person in the right way, the right objective and methodology,” he said.

“That’s why it’s not true that we are against sex education. It’s just that the Church has its own principles on how to properly form the mentality of the youth,” said Aniceto.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez revealed that Catholic schools already have its own sex education.

“The Catholic schools have their own sex educations... we have the best psychologists. We consult the best educators in the methodology and definitely we consult the parents because ultimately the parents are the ones concerned with their children,” he said.