Catholics andTeam Buhay

The Freeman headline last Tuesday was “Team Patay posters now invading Cebu.” Now didn't we say that this movement that was initiated by the Diocese of Bacolod has become viral not only in social networking sites, but also in mainstream media? From my viewpoint… this issue has turned into a massive critical mass, which is why we wrote that finally, the Catholic Church has awakened and is now fighting back.

Indeed, before the Reproductive Health Bill was approved in a final reading in Congress, I even wrote in this corner that there were some 154 congressmen who vowed to shoot down the RH Bill. I remember asking Cebu Prelate, Archbishop Jose Palma where did the Catholic Church get this number? He told me that this number was collated from all the other bishops all over the country, double checked, validated and confirmed. But when the votes were cast, many of these congressmen either disappeared on voting day or worse, some of them voted for the RH Bill. Only 53 were left!

So do you blame the Catholic Church or at least the clergy for fighting back? Na traydoran! Let me rewind back to the day of the voting when Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III called those members of Congress against the RH Bill into a luncheon. One info I got was that they were “bribed” using their Priority Development Assistance Program (PDAF) a.k.a. Pork Barrel. Now isn't that bribing these supposedly “honorable” men and women with taxpayers' money? Indeed it is!

In my book it is the highest form of corruption for a President to push for a House Bill that had no domestic root. Yes the RH Bill that has become the law of the land was copied from foreign sources. Some even say from the United States of America, while others say that it was copied en toto from the United Nations (UN) and therefore, it is not a homegrown bill.

So now, the Bacolod initiative called the Team Patay vs. Team Buhay has finally reached the shores of Cebu. Now it is up to the respective parish priests to explain to their faithful flock why they should be voting for the Pro-Life Senators (I heard that a few weeks before the elections, this will be expanded to the congressional bets). What's interesting here is that those parishes that refused to join in might just get the ire of their flock, who are no longer happy with their representation in the Senate and in Congress.

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If there is anything we can say about the law in this country… it is a big joke! Whenever we get to visit a country like Singapore, Filipinos make jokes that Singapore is a “fine” city, wherein if you violate minor laws, like sticking your chewing gum on a wall or seat or throwing your candy wrapper on the sidewalk and the police happens to see you, you'd get fined S$300! In this country, if you put a “Don't” sign, it is a guarantee that people will violate whatever is written in that sign. It is better that the sign wasn't placed there at all.

Take a good look at a sign that declares, “Don't throw your garbage here!” This sign is really an invitation for people to throw their garbage in that location. The same is true with the sign “No urinating here!” You can bet that you'd see traces or smell of urine in that area. As for traffic signs, the most violated in Cebu is the sign that says, “No Parking from here to corner.” But you already know that jeepney drivers violate this with impunity. Thanks to CITOM enforcers who no longer apprehend violators.

This is exactly the same message that our good friend, Atty. Antonio “Onyot” Oposa was trying to send when he was guest at the 888 Forum last Tuesday morning at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel. While he meant this with our Environmental Protection Laws and our Anti-Noise ordinance, the reality on the ground is… the Philippines has so many good laws… but we are near zero in implementing these laws. So you ask… what has happened in the last three years under Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III's Daang Matuwid? Of course the response is… much of everything is the same.

Atty. OnyotOposa talked about something that affects many Cebuano residents, those ultra noisy “discorral” happening in all the sitios in Metro Cebu and the entire province. He made a study that the thump, thump, thump of the bass of those high frequency digital sound machines is akin to listening to the horn of a truck wailing all night. But even with our Anti-Noise Ordinance, this has not deterred those in the business of “discorrals” from disturbing our sleep, especially children who need to go to school.

It's high time that we dare our councilors from either Team Rama or the Liberal Party (LP) to make an election issue of this anti-noise ordinance…and put more teeth into this law. Atty. Oposa only asks our neighbors to follow the Golden Rule…do unto others, as you would want them to do unto you. Let's see what kind of stuff our politicians are made of!

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