CBCP: Dipolog to hold anti-RH demo on July 24

On July 24, the eve of the day when President Benigno Aquino III is expected to deliver his State of the Nation Address (SONA), Mindanao-based pro-life groups will hold a rally against the reproductive health (RH) bill in Dipolog City. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said this will be the fourth “pro-life" rally in the area in the last two months. Earlier pro-life rallies and forums in Zamboanga included those in Dapitan (July 6), Sindangan (June 29) and Dipolog (May 31). The July 24 event will start at 1 p.m., with a registration at the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral grounds. Dipolog Bishop Jose Manguiran will then celebrate a 2:00 p.m. Mass inside the cathedral. The massgoers will pray an “Oratio Imperata" (mandatory prayer) for the protection of all human life. Highlighting the event is a 3:00 p.m. Walk for Life around the city, according to an article on the CBCP news site. The walk ends at Plaza Magsaysay where speakers will tackle issues surrounding the “culture of life" and the fight against the RH bill. Among the speakers at the 4 p.m. forum are Manguiran; Human Life International (HLI) Philippines director Dr. Rene Bullecer; and Economics instructor and Law student Jan Louenn Lumanta. Msgr. Emigdio T. Socias, Vicar General of the Dipolog Diocese, will close the event with a prayer. Aquino, on the other hand, will deliver his SONA before a joint session of Congress on July 25. - VVP, GMA News