Recognizing anti-RH bill advocates!

We attended the Humane Vitae Awards of the National Pro-Lifers in Government Service Recognition night at the Marriott Hotel last Friday evening led by Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer Country Director of Human Life International Pilipinas with no less than his Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and members of the Task Force for Family and Life-Visayas in full attendance. This was the recognition night given by the Cebu Archdiocese to the people who fought that demonic bill, the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

The Humanae Vitae Awards were given to Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr. House Speaker Prospero Nograles, Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia, Deputy Speaker Rep. Raul del Mar, Rep. Pablo John Garcia and Gov. Gwen F. Garcia. The big and unexpected surprise of the evening was that the Cebu Archdiocese of Cebu recognized his humble writer for the articles we wrote against the RH Bill. While I was invited to the event to cover it, I really didn’t expect to be given the same award that they bestowed to our elected leaders who helped the Church wage battle against the RH Bill.

In his acceptance speech, Rep. Raul del Mar give credit to House Speaker Nograles for his leadership as they both steered the House to the point that the proponents of the RH Bill stood no chance to call for a vote on the RH Bill. This was crucial as Rep. del Mar confided to me that they didn’t have the numbers to kill the bill.

However House Speaker Nograles and Rep. del Mar warns that the RH bill will resurface in the 15th Congress, hence we cannot sit on our laurels and prepare for a future battle. Our dear friend, Babes Romualdez wrote in “Babes’ Eye View” last Sunday about Risa Hontiveros, “Risa Hontiveros minced no words saying she is fighting the good fight and intends to refile the jettisoned RH Bill believing it is crucial to the issue of women’s health.”

Rep. Pabling Garcia gave a most eloquent speech, the one he failed to deliver in the house since it was no longer necessary as the RH Bill wasn’t calendared when the session ended. Rep. Garcia said that even the title of this bill is deceptive, because it prevents reproduction. He said that he is the 7th in a family of 11 children. If his parents decided to use contraceptive and have only five children, he wouldn’t be getting the award that evening. He added that, “In my own family, I have eight children, if we decided to have only five or six kids, then there would be no Rep. Pablo John, my youngest who is a Congressman and a pro-life supporter.”

House Speaker Prospero Nograles gave the audience a warning that the RH Bill will not only resurface, it will come back with a vengeance to include the local government units (LGU’s). He cited an ordinance called Women’s Health Care in Davao City where women who voluntarily submit to ligation would be given P5,000 and this includes men who seek vasectomy. Nograles said that in the House, he stopped 268 Congressmen from pushing the RH Bill, but no one could stop the 24 Councilors in Davao from making their own version of the RH Bill. If elected as Mayor of Davao, he promised to repeal this demonic ordinance. More on this from Sen. Pimentel, Jr. –Bobit S. Avila (The Philippine Star)

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