Padilla: 'Yes' to climate change policy, GMRC; 'no' to criminalizing abortion
Senatorial candidate Dr. Minguita Padilla has said she is in favor of adopting better climate change policies and teaching good manners and right conduct (GMRC) to children, but she is opposed to the criminalization of abortion and lowering the age of criminal liability.
If elected senator, Dr. Padilla said she would support courses of action that would mitigate the impact of climate change in the country, including the normalization of work-from-home schemes that could help reduce air pollution, especially in Metro Manila.
She also encouraged the government to consider a possible shift to alternative energy sources, particularly the development of more solar power plants, as well as making industries more climate-resilient.
Between GMRC courses and offering a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, Dr. Padilla said she is leaning more towards the former than the latter, arguing that enforcing discipline among the youth would not help if they grow up to be rude.
On the issue of lowering the age of criminal responsibility, the aspiring senator would rather maintain the status quo, which is 15 years old. In cases of minors, who keep committing serious criminal offenses, she mentioned that their parents may be held accountable.
She recommends that juvenile delinquents be placed in a rehabilitation facility, like those who are struggling with drug addiction problems, so they could undergo holistic reformation process before they are allowed to rejoin mainstream society.
Padilla also said she does not believe that women who underwent an abortion process really wanted to make such difficult decision, noting that some of them were probably ‘living on the razor’s edge,’ so it is not right to easily condemn a woman for going through it.
“I still think it (abortion) should not be just legal. We have to find a middle ground. But we cannot make it so easy that it’s just taken for granted,” she explained.
Padilla made her positions known about these issues during her appearance in a series of one-on-one interviews with senatorial candidates over The Boy Abunda Talk Channel on YouTube. Her episode was uploaded last Thursday evening, April 21.
The seasoned ophthalmologist is running for senator under the electoral ticket of presidential candidate Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson and his running mate Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ C. Sotto III.
Padilla aims to pursue reforms in the public health sector once she receives her legislative mandate.