The issue of condom use has been raised in the Philippines after a workers group attempted to get Catholic bishops in the country to recognise the product's importance in protecting women's health.
On Monday, members of the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) gathered in Manila, where the Catholic Bishops Conferences of the Philippines (CBCP) was taking place.
Designed to coincide with the internationally recognised Women's Day, the group wanted the bishops to bless baskets of condoms in a symbolic gesture.
But no bishop was available to meet the group, so instead it submitted a copy of the Philippine government's paper supporting the use of condoms to stop the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus.
Judy Ann Miranda, general secretary of PM, said: "We humbly asked the bishops to bless the condoms as a conciliatory gesture to unite for reproductive health and women's rights."
The CBCP refuses to recognise the use of condoms because they believe it encourages sexual promiscuity.
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