All throughout the months before that conference, we undertook a consensus-building process to ensure that the positions we took in Cairo reflected what the nation believed and wanted as a whole.

A Seven-Point Consensus

The product of our consensus building was a seven-point program that the Philippine Delegation adopted throughout the Cairo Conference. May I just reiterate them briefly, because they define, in effect, our population and development policy:

l . Human life is sacred and our respect for human life is paramount and non-negotiable; therefore, abortion should never be promoted as a method of family planning;

2. The family as a basic unit of society is anchored on the permanent and exclusive marriage between a man and woman for the purpose of the education of children and a communion of life. Marriage is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the state;

3 . The family remains the foundation of the nation and of all striving for development;

4. The state recognizes the role of women in nation building and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of women and men;

5 . The state recognizes freedom of conscience in accordance with religious and moral convictions, consistent with the common good. The government policy to provide information to the family as a basis in planning how to live and grow springs from our respect for this freedom and for human life;

6. The state shall defend the rights of spouses to found a family in accordance with their moral or religious convictions and the demands for responsible parenthood; and,

7. Human development should be viewed holistically, addressing all needs and aspirations of a human person from politics, economics, to culture and religion.

In this context, the Philippine delegation in Cairo also emphasized the need to consider the compatibility of any program with our cultural values, especially those that concern our strong family ties.

Our Policy for Women

It is within this synergism that my government recognizes that women in the 21st Century have a vital role in development. Without the equal and equitable social participation of women, it will be very hard for my government - and any government , for that matter -to solve population issues and attain social sustainable development in harmony with the fragile limits of the environment.

In Beijing, we were equally specific. We defined our basic policies on women, commit-ting ourselves to the following measures: