Catholics launch 'anti-RH with a smile' campaign

Catholics opposing the Reproductive Health (RH) bill are launching an "anti-RH campaign with a smile." Msgr. Juanito Figura, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said the Catholic Church will be giving out stickers with a yellow smiley to promote the "Gospel of Life" with a smile. “Maybe we can summarize the position of the church as it continues to do its campaign against the RH, it is peaceful, friendly campaign and we are saying that we are pro-life and we are anti-RH with a smile," Figura said. The CBCP's latest information campaign was launched on Friday in Intramuros, Manila. “You will see stickers displayed on vehicles. We would place stickers that are more friendly because we are actually not adversarial, not against anybody in particular, not against any group in particular but against the RH bill specifically so we are doing this mission with a smile," Figura said. Jose Rizal as model of the youth Aside from the smiley stickers, the CBCP will also produce tarpaulin banners featuring national hero Dr. Jose Rizal as a model for the youth. “He is not only our national hero but this year we celebrate his 150th birth anniversary. He is always been known for his works and he always said that the youth is the future of the nation," Figura said. "If we teach our youth today the wrong values about life, if we teach the youth today on the wrong values about society and the family what will they become when they become adults and leaders of the nation in the future?" Figura added. “We are coming out with tv ads even with our meager income. Maybe you would see the tv ad maybe not on tv, but on the church projectors before masses because we are spreading these tv ads exponentially by using our very own network and our resources," he said. Anti-RH stand Meanwhile, CBCP President Bishop Nereo Odchimar reiterated the Church's stand against the RH bill, which promotes both natural and artificial methods of family planning. The Catholic Church accepts only natural family planning methods. Odchimar urged people to defend their moral values by rejecting the proposed measure. “Ignoring moral values is moral corruption; and moral corruption breeds corruption in public and private life. Its fruit is social decay and disintegration," Odchimar said. He said the people's right to choose must always be guided by the Gospels and the teachings of the Church. “To ignore this principle is to ignore the light that illumines an upright conscience," Odchimar said. - VVP, GMA News