Prelates threaten ‘civil disobedience’ on RH bill

At least two Catholic bishops have warned of a “civil disobedience” campaign if the controversial bill on birth control is passed into law.

According to Archbishop Ramon Arguelles and Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, they will advise Catholics not to follow the Reproductive Health (RH) bill if it becomes a law.

They, however, stressed that whatever their actions take, will not be violent.

“We will have a civil disobedience move. Those laws that are immoral, we will tell the people not to obey,” Bastes in a statement posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference

of the Philippines’ (CBCP) Web site, said.

Arguelles maintained that the civil disobedience campaign is not meant to overthrow the Aquino administration but rather a move to strongly denounce the RH bill.

Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz has earlier said President Aquino might be facing daily street protests led by the Church once the RH bill finally makes it through 15th Congress with his administration’s backing.

Malacañang, for its part, once again appealed for sobriety to the members of the CBCP amid their fresh threats.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda asked the Church leaders to be “sober” in their statements as discussions between their representatives and the members of the Aquino administration regarding this matter continue.

Lacierda, however, urged the Church not to lose hope and still try to fight for their advocacy in the House of Representatives since the approval of the consolidated version of the RH bill was just at the committee level.

“Let’s be sober in our statements. We have maintained our dialog with the bishops. Let us not be very hostile in our statements. There is still a long process that we can go through. Let’s take each mile; let’s discuss it and debate the merits of the RH bill and hopefully, convince the lawmakers of the strength of their arguments,” Lacierda explained.

The Palace official once said that among the agreements they had with the bishops is that the Executive branch would no longer intercede between them and the members of the House of Representatives that are handling the RH bill.

“We have again stated that every person has the constitutional right to air their opinion and to have redress for their grievances. Again, we would urge the hierarchy (of the Church) to still fight it (their arguments) out in Congress… If they believe that they have a strong argument against the Reproductive Health (bill), we ask them to continue to lobby in Congress. We leave it at that and we hope they will not be so harsh and hasty in their pronouncements,” he said.

The CBCP earlier released a strongly-worded pastoral letter decrying the House panel’s decision to approve the consolidated version of RH bill on its belief that it indoctrinates the so-called “moral corruption” among the public.

CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar also dropped broad hints recently that they might pull out in the ongoing dialog with Malacañang should the RH bill advocates continue to make progress in Congress.

Malacañang, nonetheless, said the government remains committed to pursue Aquino’s five-pronged Responsible Parenthood (RP) agenda even as Church leaders keep condemning its progenitor which is the RH bill.

Lacierda previously explained that, contrary to the claims of the Church, their policy to distribute free contraceptives to poor couples does not exactly constitute moral corruption as it is the State’s obligation to keep the public informed on both natural and artificial family planning methods. –Michaela P. del Callar, Aytch S. de la Cruz, Daily Tribune