New ‘Juana Change’ video features anti-RH priest

As the nation’s lawmakers and opinion leaders argue about the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill and its many sub-issues, Juana Change’s newest satirical video declares: “Overpopulation is a myth!" “Those rich countries made a pact with the devil. Hindi ba kayo proud na isa tayo sa dalawang bansang walang divorce? We shall have none of that here! Not condom, not divorce and certainly not sex education. That sex education, ha, that's the ultimate tool of child abuse!" bellows Monsignor, a character espousing the stand of stereotypical anti-RH advocates, in the latest video starring ‘Juana Change’ — Mae Paner in real life. Paner first gained fame as a character actress with a penchant for parodies that poke fun at national issues. In her latest opus, “Philippines: Overpopulation is a Myth," Paner reprises her role as a woman who supports the RH Bill and questions the Church’s stand on various reproductive issues. Late last year, Paner starred in “Mga Anak ng Diyos," an eight-minute video that also campaigned for the RH Bill. Her most recent video features four women — three of them pregnant —sharing merienda with “Monsignor" while talking about sex and reproduction. In a telephone interview with GMA News Online, Paner said she hopes the video — punctuated with facts and figures about women, contraception and reproduction in the Philippines — will help shed light on the issue. Satire and irony, Paner said, makes the video edgy and hopefully grabs viewers’ attention. Paner said that she hoped those who watch the video — whether pro-, anti-, or undecided — will end up understanding the bill better. “[I think that some Filipinos] are hiding behind religion [that’s why they oppose the bill]. Ako naman, I believe that what we want for ourselves is what God wants," she said. The video ends with a message from the four women: “Gusto kong mabuhay ng malinis, ligtas at guilt-free." “Naghihirap ang mga babae. [The RH Bill] gives them an option," Paner said. Paner was a staunch supporter of the electoral campaign of President Benigno Aquino III, but she parted ways with the movement at the height of the 2010 campaign season because the candidates who were running did not stand for the anti-traditional politics she was advocating. Early this year, she starred in a video that criticized President Aquino’s purchase of a Porsche. — MRT/HS, GMA News