CBCP: Thousands join anti-RH bill rallies in Mindanao cities

Up to 50,000 “pro-life" advocates in Mindanao held simultaneous rallies against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill over the weekend, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) claimed Saturday. The CBCP said the anti-RH bill rallies were held in different key cities across Mindanao Friday, with participants from various faiths. “We marched to the Shrine of Nuestra Senora la Virgen del Pilar, more than a kilometer away, for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist," Zamboanga Archbishop Romulo Valles said in an article posted Saturday night on the CBCP news site. Valles said many joined their “March for Life – Mass for Life" where the participants assembled at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He said the message was loud and clear: “Those who believe in the gospel of Jesus, in front of the possibility of the RH bill becoming a law in our land must choose between the Culture of Life or the Culture of Death." Valles said the big open area of the highly popular shrine of Nuestra Senora la Virgen del Pilar was filled with people. “It had no roof and it was a fiesta atmosphere that prevailed during the activity," he said. In General Santos City, the CBCP said some 4,000 trooped to the Oval Plaza for a separate anti-RH bill rally. Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez said the 4,000 represented the Diocese of Marbel’s parishes and joined some 40 priests and religious women at the rally. “We thanked God for the fine weather that brought parish representatives to our activity," Gutierrez said. In Manila, Friday’s Interfaith Prayer Rally against the RH bill drew as many as 40,000 of the faithful to the Rizal Park, according to officials of the Manila Police District. (See: Manila interfaith rally draws 40,000 faithful vs. RH bill) The RH bill, now renamed as the Responsible Parenthood bill, is being pushed in Congress by women’s groups, health groups, and various other pro-RH sectors but is being opposed by other groups led by the influential Catholic Church. The bill was dropped from the list of priority legislative measures that representatives of the executive and legislative branches agreed on in the latest meeting of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council.—JMA/JV, GMA News