( CNN ) -- Legislation providing for government-funded contraception and sex education classes in the Philippines will take effect in mid-January , according to a spokeswoman for President Benigno Aquino . Aquino signed the bill on December 21 , deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said in a statement released Saturday . Lawmakers nearly two weeks ago approved the legislation , and a reconciliation committee was tasked with working out differences in the versions passed by the two houses . Despite widespread popular support , the Catholic Church opposed the measure , saying it will destroy marriage and morality in the Philippines . More than 80 % of the Philippines ' 96 million residents are Catholic . Passage of the bill closed a divisive chapter in the country 's history , said Valte , according to the official Philippines News Agency . The act `` opens the possibility of cooperation and reconciliation among different sectors in society : engagement and dialogue characterized not by animosity , but by our collective desire to better the welfare of the Filipino people , '' she said . Read one senator 's opinion : 'Why we fought ' Sen. Edgardo Angara , who voted for the measure , called the bill `` an affirmation of human rights , '' according to CNN affiliate ABS-CBN . `` We have to consider that not all Filipinos are Catholics . We have Muslims , Protestants , Buddhists , nonbelievers , '' he said at the time of the bill 's passage , according to ABS-CBN .
President Benigno Aquino signs legislation . The bill is the first of its kind in Asia and will allow for a more efficient use of water by farmers who are already struggling to cope with drought conditions. It will take effect in mid-January . The Catholic Church opposed it .