The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is still willing to discuss the provisions of the Reproductive Health Care Act with its proponents in the legislature, said their spokesman Bishop Socorro Villegas.

However in a pastoral statement, the CBCP said the bill needed to be re-written to guarantee 'the sacredness of life from conception'.

They also objected to provisions for sex education in schools, saying it would 'violate the consciences of educators who refuse to teach forms of family planning that violate their religious traditions'.

'We call for a more widespread dialogue on the bill,' the bishops said.

They did not refer to the highly-visible campaign that the dominant church has been waging against the reproductive health act for the last few months.

International agencies and economists have called for the enactment of a family planning programme in the Philippines where the population now stands at around 90 million, with an annual growth rate of 2.04 per cent, one of the highest in Asia.

However the Catholic church, which counts more than 80 per cent of the populace as followers, is opposed to all forms of artificial contraception and has worked against efforts to spread the use of birth control in the country.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, a devout Catholic, has previously said she is against contraceptives in principle, but her Social Welfare Secretary, Ms Esperanza Cabral, said this week she did not believe Mrs Arroyo would veto the bill if it is passed by parliament. -- AFP