CBCP launches anti-RH bill website

Catholic bishops took their fight against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill to cyberspace Wednesday, launching a website filled with materials lambasting the measure. While the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) insisted the new site is about life and the family, most of its contents were position papers and news releases criticizing the RH bill. "The CBCP is only one of those who stand against the bill and we will continue proclaiming as much as we can the Gospel of Life," CBCP secretary general Msgr. Juanito Figura said in an article posted on the new site cbcpforlife.com. Figura said the CBCP is speaking from a “religious point of view" as a basic right stated in the 1987 Constitution, which made a reference to God. “It may be the God of us Christians, maybe the Allah of our Muslim brothers and sisters, the Buddha of the Buddhist, or anybody transcendental to other religions," he pointed out. “But the Almighty had to be there and his teaching had to be listened to and followed. This is the first basis in the Church’s involvement (in the fight against RH bill)," he added. The Catholic Church has opposed the RH bill because of its provisions allowing artificial contraception. The Church favors only natural family planning. Content The site’s articles included an invitation to join the “Batasan Watch" and to “witness and pray at the Battleground," referring to the debates on the RH bill at the House of Representatives. It also featured an article claiming the Episcopal Church joined Catholics in rejecting the RH bill. Documents on the site included a pastoral letter on the life of the unborn child. Figura said the Church hopes the new website will help “inform" Filipinos on “current issues on family and life" such as the RH bill. “This presentation that we have is simple but very powerful indication that the CBCP is not alone in the anti-RH bill campaign," Figura said. CBCP spokesman Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III added the website’s contents will include materials from various organizations, even from non-Catholics. “This is a collaborative work of many institutions and individuals who believe in the worthy cause of building an ‘online databank’ of multimedia resources," he said. While archiving, documenting and databanking are the prominent features of the portal, he said the site also has a pool of journalists, bloggers, podcasters and social networkers “who are committed to come up with news stories and features on life and the family on a daily basis." Extension of the pulpit Quitorio said they decided to make use of the Internet not only because of its wider reach but also because this is where most of the “war against life" is taking place. “I might be wrong, but about 85 percent of that happens on the internet not really on radio, television or print. You’ll see a lot of that in social networking sites," he said. Figura added the portal is just another avenue for them to preach and spread the word of God. “This is just one of the avenues through which we can continue to preach…even during the time of Pope Paul VI, he started to call the media as the extension of the pulpit," he said. Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. urged lawmakers, particularly the supporters of the RH bill, to visit the website to be “enlightened" on the issue. “They should visit this portal so they may also see the other side," he said. — KBK, GMA News