Bishops, church groups, hold caravan, rally vs RH bill

LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines – Two Catholic bishops, priests, lay people from different church organizations in Quezon province held a motorcade and rally on Saturday to drive home their opposition to the reproductive health bill pending in Congress.

“It does not matter if President Aquino is fully supportive of the bill. What is important here is that we as Catholics are voicing out our strong stand against that bill,” Bishop Emilio Marquez, head of the Diocese of Lucena, said in his homily during a mass held at the Quezon Convention Center before the peace rally.

The reproductive health bill will mobilize government health centers in informing couples about artificial and natural birth control methods available.

Bishop Buenaventura Malayo Famadico from the Diocese of Gumaca who led the contingent from the Lamon Bay area also joined Marquez. Other delegates from other districts of the province came in several jeeps, buses and private vehicles.

“They all traveled from the four parts of the province to register their strong opposition against RH bill,” Marquez told the Philippine Daily Inquirer earlier.

However, the bishop did not hide his disappointment in the low turn-out of participants at an estimated 1,500 delegates. He urged the delegates to gather more supporters in the fight against the bill.

Marquez scoffed at President Aquino’s support of the bill and the effort to give it a new name – responsible parenthood – to counter the Catholic Church adamant opposition.

“What’s in a name? A horse is still a horse even if one calls it with a different name. That bill is like a fine and tasty bread but it is stale inside,” the bishop said in his homily.

The reproductive health bill is one of the 12 priority bills that President Benigno Aquino III will be presenting to Congress for approval in 2011.

Mr. Aquino, in recent statements, has called the controversial legislative measure as the “responsible parenthood” bill.

Marquez warned of rampant pre-marital sex among young Filipinos if the bill was passed.

“Sex should only be between married couples. Pre-marital sex will become rampant in the country (if the RH bill is passed) and that’s why the Church is strongly against it,” Marquez said

He called on parents to exert their moral influence on their children, especially minors, to teach them to heed and follow the Church teaching against abortion, which the Catholic Church believed would be promoted by the reproductive health bill.

Marquez said that while he agreed the state should educate the public on the problem of over-population, “it’s wrong for the government to distribute artificial contraceptives, such as condoms and pills. They are pushing their people to commit sins. For the Catholic faithful, it is a mortal sin to practice abortion,” the bishop stressed.

The Catholic Church holds the view that artificial contraceptives are abortifacients.

Anti-RH bill speakers from Manila spoke before the assembly and discussed the latest updates on the proposed legislation now pending before Congress and Senate. –Delfin Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon