A protest rally vs. the RH Bill on Friday

Last month in January, we saw millions of Catholic devotees troop to the Sto. Niño Basilica to show their devotion to the Child Jesus, while in Manila a week before the Sinulog we also saw the millions of men joining the famous albeit tumultuous Black Nazarene procession. But the bigger challenge to Catholics is whether or not as Catholics they follow the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Perhaps the litmus for Catholics is whether they would support the call by the Clergy to support their call against the Reproductive Health bill.

 This Friday Feb. 11, there will be a Prayer March Rally at the Fuente Osmeña Circle. Assembly time starts at 1:00PM in four chosen converging areas. From those who come from the North, please go to the Capitol Area. The lead group there is the Lion de Judah Community. For those coming from the East please go to the USC Boy’s High School in Mango Ave. The lead group is the Knights of Columbus.

 For those coming from the South, please proceed to the Cebu Normal University (CNU) or Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) area and the lead group there is the Council of the Laity. While those coming from the West will converge along V. Rama area and the lead group is Couple’s for Christ.

 The program will have praise songs Ministries and speeches on the dangers of the RH bill for us individually and for our nation. In case you need added information, call the Council of the Laity at tel. no. 255-5741 and look for Atty. Paterno Acabodillo or the Cebu Pro-Life Coalition at tel. no. 255-0136 and look for Dr. Rene Bullecer.

 I read in the news that Malacañang now has sort of stricken from the list the RH Bill’s priority because according to the report the dialogue between Malacañang and the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is not yet over and done with. I suspect that the ulterior motive of P.Noy’s Bata Bata’s like, Sec. Edwin Lacierda tried to finish that dialogue to make it seem that the draft RH Bill that they are pushing now has the imprimatur of the CBCP. But since that did not happen, they are not as enthusiastic to push the RH Bill as a priority because they know it just might lead to people marching on the streets in protest.

 Baring any official or public statements from Pres. Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III that he has changed his stand, I would look at this developments from Malacañang as a “Dilatory tactic” because they really have not abandoned their pro-abortionist position. Hence I would like to exhort our fellow Catholics to show their love of our Lord Jesus Christ by showing up at the Fuente Osmeña circle this Friday in an indignation rally so that our unborn children inside the womb of its mother won’t be terrorized so early in its life.

 As for our Legislators, we earnestly hope that they come up with laws that strengthen or protect the Family unit, instead of exposing women with the risks that they taking when they use contraceptives. Congress should also make it easier for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to invest in the country, like what is happening with our Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), which has now become one of the biggest employers in our country.

 If and when the majority of the Filipino people have jobs, it is a guarantee that they would have more time for work than having children. It has been proven that the populations in Asia’s Tiger Economies have gone down because their people would rather enjoy their newfound wealth, rather than waste their time taking care of babies.

* * *

 No doubt that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and Congressional hearings purportedly done “In-aid-of-legislation” is for all intents and purposes done “In-aid-of-election” because these Senators or Congressmen use this TV coverage to show to the nation that they are legislators worth voting for. But in the end, they behave like the bullies and grandstanding lawmakers they really are. This is why I fully agree with what some pundits are saying that TV coverage in these hearings should not be aired live.

In a TV interview, Sen. Gringo Honasan said that Gen. Reyes was a victim of Trial by Publicity and I fully concur with his observations. Looking at replayed TV footages on the way Sen. Antonio Trillanes “interrogated” his former AFP Chief, reveals his ill-mannered ways. He showed no respect and only contempt for Gen. Reyes. This shows that Sen. Trillanes has morphed from a meek lamb when he was imprisoned into an arrogant Senator of the land! While I agree that these Senate or Congressional hearings have done some good for our country, but they should observe a kind of decorum, not just for those people who get invited to appear before the panel, but there should also be certain rules of decency that our Legislators should observe.