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Manila interfaith rally draws 40,000 faithful vs. RH bill


Friday’s Interfaith Prayer Rally against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill drew as many as 40,000 of the faithful to the Rizal Park in Manila, according to officials of the M)anila Police District. The rally started at 4 p.m. and coincided with the Roman Catholic Feast of the Annunciation or Day of the Unborn. People in Metro Manila and from neighboring provinces flocked to the Quirino Grandstand to listen to speeches delivered by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and other prominent anti-RH bill personalities. (See: Pacquiao: If my dad used a condom, I wouldn't be here now) The Roman Catholic Church is against the RH bill, which allows for artificial means of contraception. The Church favors only natural family planning.
Friday night’s mass was one of several activities lined up by the Catholic Church to oppose the RH bill. But one of the highlights of the program was an interfaith prayer against the RH bill led by religious leaders from the Catholic Church and even other faiths like Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. A number of prominent politicians also spoke at the gathering, some of whom were even political foes like Manila mayor Alfredo Lim and his predecessor Lito Atienza. Those who were not able to make it to the rally, like Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, just had their prepared speeches read to those at the gathering. Church-run Radio Veritas reported some of the participants at the rally began to disperse at about 7 p.m., shortly before the mass started. However, the radio’s anchors claimed this may be because some people in the crowd could not hear the announcements from the stage due to the inadequate sound system at the venue. The rally ended with a candle-lighting ceremony. Prelate: Avoid ‘moral tragedy’ At a mass highlighting the rally, Rosales said in his homily:“May panahon pa upang maiwasan ang trahedyang moral na idudulot ng RH Bill. May panahon pa. (There’s still time to avoid the moral tragedy that the RH Bill will bring us. There’s still time)," The archbishop implored lawmakers to overhaul the RH Bill or junk it altogether, stating that it promotes disrespect for life and teaches the opposite of discipline and responsibility. The prelate scored some lawmakers for promoting the bill, which he said encourages people to have irresponsible sex and to avoid the consequences. “Sa ngalan daw ng sanidad at kalusugan, puro palusot ang gusto ituro sa kabataan ng ilang mambabatas. Ganyan ang magiging bukas ng Pilipinas. Mga mamamayang puro palusot, lahat na padulas ang alam," he said. (Some lawmakers would have children taught to shirk responsibility, in the name of health. This is what would become of the future of the Philippines, a citizenry that knows nothing but to make excuses.) RH Bill against Pinoy culture? Rosales said life should be respected, whatever stage it be in – as a fetus, an infant, an adult or an old person – adding that the Church believes life must be defended, and not be blocked by any artificial means. “Ang paglapastangan sa buhay na yan, malakas man o mahina, na ating laging pinahalagahan ay labag sa kulturang Pilipino tungkol sa buhay ng tao (Disrespecting life – strong or weak – but which all of us hold dear, is against Filipino culture respecting human life)," he said. Rosales said that all that is needed is for the married couple to practice discipline and hold back from having sex if the woman is fertile and the couple does not want to have a child yet. “Kapag may disiplina ang tao may disiplina sa kama. Pag may disiplina sa kama may disiplina sa kalsada. Pag may disiplina sa kalsada may disiplina sa pitaka at kwarta ," he said. (If a couple exercises discipline, that discipline shows on the marital bed. If people are disciplined on the marital bed, they will be disciplined out in the streets. And when there’s discipline in the streets, there’s also discipline in handling money.) The Manila archbishop lamented that some proponents of the RH bill are encouraging undisciplined sex and promoting artificial contraception as so-called protection from sexually transmitted diseases. Stressing that marriage is holy and sex is sacred as a means of procreation, Rosales asked why children should be taught to use condoms to avoid disease when they are supposed to be taught to value life and exercise self-restraint and discipline. Gomburza vs. Damaso Rosales also threw jabs at individual supporters of the RH Bill, including celebrated tour guide Carlos Celdran who had disrupted a Mass last year at the Manila Cathedral by raising a placard with the name “Damaso" while dressed up as national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Celdran, an advocate of the RH bill, branded bishops opposing the bill as “Damaso," a reference to a fictional Spanish priest with dubious morals and motives, and who fathered a girl in Rizal’s novel Noli Me Tangere. Rosales reminded the faithful that although Rizal wrote much anti-clerical rhetoric, he dedicated his novel El Filibusterismo to martyred patriotic priests Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora. Aside from Rosales, a senior official of the Vatican also delivered a message of encouragement to those who attended the prayer rally, telling them to love and protect life. Vatican and El-Shaddai At the start of the mass celebrated at the Quirino Grandstand, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo delivered the message of Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone. Bertone recalled a message from Pope Benedict XVI to Manila-based Catholic bishops who had met with the pope at the Vatican last year: “I commend the Church in the Philippines for seeking to play its part in support of human life from conception until natural death, and in defense in the integrity of marriage and the family," Benedict XVI had said. “In these areas you are promoting truths about the human person and our society which arise not only from divine revelation but also from the natural law and order which is acceptable to human reason and thus provide a basis for dialogue and deeper discernment on the part of all people of goodwill," Bertone quoted the pope as saying. After the mass, El Shaddai leader Mariano Velarde led participants in reciting a prayer for life, and thanked the bishops for defending life. He claimed that the RH bill was a “blasphemy" because it aims to "control the population growth of Filipinos," which he said is opposed to God's intentions. Davide to lead another anti-RH protest Meanwhile, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. will lead yet another protest against the anti-reproductive health (RH) bill in Manila this Sunday. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said it expects "thousands" to join the "walk for life" led by Davide along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. "Organized by the Knights of Columbus (K of C) Philippines, a group of Catholic men, the march will kick off with a 6 a.m. Mass at the San Agustin Church in Intramuros," the CBCP said. The protest march is scheduled to start right after the mass, from Intramuros to Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate, where a program will be held. Demonstrators will come from various Knights of Columbus Councils from the Dioceses of Antipolo, Cubao, Imus, Caloocan, Malolos, Parañaque, and Pasig, as well as the Archdiocese of Manila. The Knights of Columbus claim to have 150,000 members nationwide. Aside from Davide, spearheading the march are Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, and Knights of Columbus officials led by Luzon Deputy Alonso Tan. Guest speakers include pro-life advocate Ligaya Acosta, executive director of Human Life International Asia. Davide and Lim are also to deliver their messages during the program in Malate. – With reports from Raffy Tima/MRT/JV, GMA News

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