Incoming CBCP chief sees 'long battle' vs RH bill, expects Cebu solons to resist

With the addition of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill to the Aquino administration's list of priority measures, the Catholic Church is bracing for a "long battle" ahead. Incoming Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma rallied his flock to "stand up for life" during this long battle. “We believe that this is a long battle and we trust that with people of goodwill and with God blessing our efforts, the sanctity of human life and marriage would prevail," he said in an article posted on the CBCP news site. The prelate said he expects anti-RH members in the House of Representatives, especially those from his native Cebu, to fight the passage of the bill. “However, I trust our congressmen especially from Cebu that they will be there to defend our stand for life, for God and of course for the sanctity of marriage," he said. The Aquino administration had made the RH bill a priority measure. The Catholic Church opposes the bill for its provisions allowing artificial contraception. Palma stressed Filipinos must oppose measures that go against the basic values of life and marriage, and exhorted Catholics to stand up against it. “I personally would like to exhort the many people who believe in the cause of the Lord, the values that the Gospel preaches, and the stand that we have been defending through these months to rally to this cause," he said. He added Catholics must "strongly fight" the bill “if indeed they believe that this is what Christianity asks of us and to believe that our efforts would be rewarded." On Tuesday, President Benigno Aquino III asked lawmakers to prioritize the passage of the RH bill and 12 other measures in the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). Palma said he was "saddened" upon learning that the RH bill is one of the priorities submitted in Congress. — LBG, GMA News