From CBCP for Life:
ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, Dec. 8, 2012—Some 1,500 youth, teachers and residents of the municipality of President Manuel A. Roxas in Zamboanga del Norte joined forces and gathered for the “Walk for Life and Anti-RH Bill Symposium,” marching around the municipality then taking part in a symposium in which economics teacher and law student Jan Louenn Lumanta spoke about the reality of the reproductive health (RH) bill and the country’s real needs.
RH Bill not for the poor
The guest speaker from the Dipolog diocese pointed out that referring to the measure as pro-poor is a misnomer.
“The RH Bill is not for the poor. It will be the big pharmaceutical companies and politicians that will benefit the most [from] RH. If the RH Bill proponents want to help the poor, they should give to the poor that P 3.7 billion that they are intending for the RH by way of creating more jobs, facilitating more skills-training programs, and constructing more classrooms,” Lumanta explained to the audience composed mostly of students, public school teachers, members of the Youth Ministry, Commission on Family and Life workers, and members of the Couples for Christ (CFC) and CFC Singles for Christ (CFC-SFC).
“You would not give condoms and contraceptives to starving families. You have to give them food instead. The Philippines is poor not because of population, but because of corruption, errors of economic policies, and bad governance,” he said.
Lumanta also pointed out the myth of overpopulation and the dangers behind the many provisions of the measure during the symposium, which was held at the Immaculada Concepcion Church of the said municipality.
“The Philippines is not overpopulated and in fact, the people are the most important resources of our country. Limiting the number of people would mean limiting our resources. The real danger is not in having a large population, but in having lesser population. Contraceptive mentality is demographic suicide,” Lumanta pointed out, citing researches of various economists.
RH bill a form of moral corruption
The guest speaker conveyed that many of the pro-RH solons have no reservations about enabling unmarried men and women to benefit from taxpayer-funded contraceptives that the P3.7 billion measure seeks to provide to the public.
Senators also had recently approved provisions allowing minors to purchase contraceptives even without parental consent and giving the government the duty to ensure a safe and satisfying sex life for the people.
“What are they promoting here, values or promiscuity?” Lumanta asked.
He also lamented the fact that senators voted against the Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s proposed amendment concerning the beginning of life, which is at fertilization. Lumanta further explained how the RH bill would lead to legalization of abortion in the Philippines.
At the end of his lecture, Lumanta challenged his audience to vote for pro-life candidates and inspired everyone to continue fighting and praying for the cause of life.
Lumanta — also a member of Filipinos for Life (F4L), an organization that educates people about the culture of life and anti-life legislation — has been actively promoting the Catholic Church’s stand against the RH bill since his college days at the University of the Philippines Los Banos, as former head of the University-based Parish Youth Commission. He started off his talk by narrating how he became a pro-lifer: as an altar boy at the age of 14, he came across a 7-month-old fetus hanging inside one of the Church bells he himself rang for 15 minutes. The incident happened during the feast of the Holy Infant Jesus, the Sto Nino. Thus got him started on his pro-life advocacy.
The December 5 event was held under the guidance of Msgr. Esteban Gaudicos on the occasion of the Ruby Jubilee Anniversary and fiesta celebration of the town parish of Roxas and as a reaction to the latest developments concerning the reproductive health (RH) bill in both Houses of Philippine Congress. (CBCP for Life)
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