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Starting September 8, 2012, anonymous comments -- whether for or against the RH bill -- will no longer be permitted on this blog.
Showing posts with label Bienvenido Abante. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bienvenido Abante. Show all posts

Friday, September 7, 2012

Three Evangelical / Protestant groups versus the RH bill

From Intercessors of the Philippines (originally posted on their FB page on August 4, 2012):

WHY WE STRONGLY STAND AGAINST THE RH BILL

We strongly stand against the RH Bill for the following reasons:

1. It will wittingly or unwittingly promote if not legalize the killing of the unborn at conception, in violation of the Bible and the Constitution.

HB 4244, the consolidated version of all Reproductive Health (RH) Bills proposes in Section 3 (e) that the State shall “promote without bias all natural and modern methods of family planning that are medically safe and legal.”

In the market right now, at least five (5) drugs and devices have abortive functions (they prevent the zygote, that is, the already unionized sperm and egg, also known as the fertilized ovum, from reaching and being implanted in the uterus, so that it will just die and be expelled.) These are depoprovera, RU 486, IUD, Norplant, and the morning after pill.

This is clearly killing a human life. The Bible teaches that a fertilized egg (the union of the sperm and the egg) is already human life. (Job 10:8-12, Psalm 139:13-16, Psalm 51:5).

The flushing out of a fertilized egg by drug or device is abortion. See Jeremiah 2:34, KJV. The blood of the poor innocents on the skirts of a nation is one of the surest ways of cursing a land.

It also violates Section 12, Art. II, of the 1987 Constitution which guarantees the protection of the life of the unborn at conception, equally with the life of the mother.

2. It will escalate and promote immorality, because it calls for the distribution of free condoms, IUDs, etc in public schools and barangays without need of parental knowledge, consent or advice.

3. It will teach “sexuality education” beginning at grade 5, with emphases on sex as a universal human right, and outside of the framework of marriage.

4. It will weaken if not destroy marriage because it gives any partner a right to avail of any artificial method of birth control (prevention of pregnancy) without need of spousal knowledge or consent.

5. It will weaken parental authority because under the Bill, youth can avail of free artificial methods of birth control which government will distribute or make available either as free, or as over-the counter drugs (meaning, without need of doctor’s prescription), without the youth being required to inform their parents.

6. It will trample on freedom of conscience because it will require all health care providers to inform and administer any of these methods, drugs and devices of birth control, and if there is refusal on religious grounds or conscience, they are still required to refer the patient or person to a doctor, clinic, institution or person that administers these services, and refusing to do so is punishable by imprisonment of six months or a fine of Php50,000.

7. It will pave the way for gay, lesbian, and homosexual unions and “marriages” in the future, because it already guarantees the right of every person for respect and against discrimination on the ground of sex, gender, or gender-preference.

8. It will threaten the most precious resource of a nation, and that is, its people or future generation. (In the Bible, the population of a nation is the glory of the king or the prince. Prov. 14:28)

On a note, rigorous population control legislations like the RH Bill imposed in so-called Christian nations or democracies will effectively reduce Christian populations, while leaving other religious populations like Islam to grow unabated because they do not approve of RH bill or similar measures.

9. It is harmful to women. Overwhelming studies have shown that drugs and devices of artificial methods of pregnancy or birth control have resulted in much higher incidences of cancer among women.

10. Government should pay attention to the top ten killer diseases of the country. Reproductive-related diseases and/or deaths are not in the top ten. (See 2006 report of the World Health Organization in the Philippines).

11. The surest way of addressing poverty is education and job-generation or employment promotion, not the killing of the unborn at conception. (See ADB report entitled “Key Indicators for Asia and Pacific 2010).

12. RH Bill has not prevented sexually-transmissible diseases from escalating in Thailand, which has more stringent similar RH measures in place.

If we want this country from being spared divine judgment, if we are to stop a curse from attaching to this land, if this nation is to be blessed, we must do everything in our power by God’s grace to see to it that the RH Bill is not passed into laW.

 -- PREPARED BY ATTY. LYNDON CANA, IFP VISAYAS COORDINATOR



BibleMode International Says “NO!” TO THE RH BILL!
By: Congressman Abante

The Evil Consequence of RH Bill 4244

1. It will promote greater sexual promiscuity and immorality because all kinds of contraceptives, condoms and the like will be readily available to all for free;

2. It will not give us 100% reliable and dependable cure or answer to the growing population of this country as in the case of Mexico, India, Africa and China and other countries of the world operating under this kind of law. Rather, it will increase more pregnancy with the increase of sexual promiscuity among young people;

3. It cannot and will not help alleviate poverty nor spur economic growth. The US of America for example, has been implementing Reproductive and Right Law for over half a century but still their economy has been very poor in the law two decades. Greed, poor economy, graft and corruption, and moral degradation will always lead nay country to grave poverty, increased crimes and uncertain future;

4. It will open a Pandora’s box of every evil bill like Gray Rights Bill, Same-Sex-Marriage Bill, abortion and Divorce Bills. Are will still a nation under God who implores the aid of Almighty God with future godless laws such as these?

5. Crimes will grown unabated and uncontrolled because we have to licentiousness and lust. Juvenile delinquency will increase because the Bible says we have become “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4);

6. If ever this bill becomes a law and enforced effectively, after 20 years or so, there will be a great reduction in the population of our younger generation. There will be more older people than younger ones. Let us learn from Singapore which has take in young immigrants just to replace the older population. Human resource is a gift of God and if used and utilized properly, it will prosper our nation. Take the OFW for example, about 7M of them all around the world yearly contributing a lot to our country’s coffers to help pump up our nation economy; and

7. Whether we believe in God’s sovereignty or not, this nation will invite the wrath of God because of the promotion of anti-God, anti-Life and anti-family bills such as this one. We want His blessings and not His judgment. Every nation that departed from the moral principles of God’s Word has experienced the judgment of God. Call us zealots or religious bigots if you may, but this is an awesome truth of which every Filipino especially those in power should take into account.

OUR HUMBLE PLEA TO OUR HONORABLE LEGISLATORS

The consolidated RH Bill is the greatest deception upon the Filipino. The Bill is a:

1. State’s intervention into people’s private marital lives and affairs, as is strongly promotes the use of contraceptives;

2. Blatant disregard to the basic parental rights and influence of parents over their children, as it guarantees minor children the right to sex;

3. Suppression of the freedom of expression, as it makes mandatory sexuality education which includes sex and access to and use of contraceptives staring Grade 5;

4. Disguised State’s sanction to abortion, as it promotes the use of contraceptives which cause abortion;

5. Violation of encroachment on the Church’s primary and supreme domain over moral and spiritual principles, standards and discipline by imposing criminal sanctions or violation thereof; and

6. Violation of Freedom of Religion and the principle of the Separation of the Church and the State, as it makes mandatory sexuality education; promotes the use of contraceptives; and imposes criminal sanction for violation thereof.

The real problem is not population explosion BUT graft and corruption, defective resources allocation and unequal distribution of wealth. The use of Contraceptives; Mandatory Sexuality Education starting Grade 5; and 2-children policy CANNOT solve the country’s the country’s Graft and Corruption; Unemployment; Education; and Poverty problems. Instead of spending Billions of Pesos for the full implementation of this Bill when it becomes a law, we submit that such amount should instead be spend for Food Production; Education, Employment, Poverty Alleviation, Housing Projects for informal settlers, and fighting Graft and Corruption.

The real solution to the problem is not in man’s hands but in God; s who assuringly said: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land” ( 2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV).

We therefore APPEAL for your HNORS to CAST A “NO” VOTE to HB 4244.

Issued in the city of Manila this 7th of August 2012.

DR. BENNY MIRANDO ABANTE, JR.
National President and Bishop
13th and 14th Congress, 6th District of Manila

BIBLEMODE Secretariat Office: P.O. Box 1957, Makati City, Philippines. Tel (02) 561-1076. Follow us on twitter.com/Benny MAbante, and like us on facebook.com/biblemodeyouth



It should be noted here that these two texts are posted on the website of Christ the Living Stone Fellowship - Rosales-Pangasinan Chapter, which also makes these texts their own. Hence we may speak here of THREE Evangelical Protestant groups being against the RH bill. 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

From the State of the Soul of the Nation Address

From CBCP for Life. Emphases (via underlining) mine.

(UPDATE: A more detailed article can be found in the website of the UST Varsitarian: 'State of the Soul of the Nation' Address: Faith and democracy can coexist'.)


MANILA, July 25, 2011–Several hours before President Benigno Simeon Aquino III was to deliver his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), a crowd of some 1,500 gathered at a historically significant place to take part in a “Congress of the Faithful” and listen to designated representatives of the Pro-Life Coalition deliver its own “State of the Soul of the Nation Address” (SSONA).

From the Corazon Aquino Kalayaan Hall of Club Filipino, where former President Corazon Aquino –the current President’s late mother—took her oath as president after the 1986 Edsa revolt, former Senator Francisco Tatad started the Address on a firm but reassuring note:

“We gather here today in our own name, and in the name of all Filipinos who want to live in truth, justice, freedom, peace and love – in a country that fully recognizes and respects the inviolable dignity of every human person, the State’s irrevocable duty to every citizen, and God’s unfailing providence, from which ‘all blessings flow.’”

He stated that the event was being carried out not to dispute or nullify the President’s words in his SONA, nor was it to imply that the Club Filipino address was the “true SONA,” but “to examine our objective national condition, express our faith and hope in the good things to come and give voice to our just anxieties and fears about the new challenges we face and many recurring ills.”

‘We swear allegiance to the same Constitution’

“We affirm the same truth about man, and profess the same commitment to human life, the family and marriage, which both the Church and the State are totally committed to protect and defend,” he said.

“We swear allegiance and loyalty to the same Constitution, and the same flag, and we claim the same rights and stand by the same duties as citizens.

May [the President] succeed in rekindling our people’s faith in his ability to inspire and lead them along the right and righteous path.

‘Soul of our nation’

We want to listen to the President. And we want all our countrymen to hang on to his every word. But we ask the President and the entire government to listen to us as well in the true spirit of give-and-take.

Before giving the floor to the succeeding speakers, Tatad explained the context in which the Address was crafted.

“By the phrase ‘the soul of our nation,’ we mean the transcendental, moral, intellectual, spiritual and religious qualities that define our being as one people, that bind us together and make each one of us a part of the other in a covenant with the same providence, and assure us that God was speaking to us when he said, “Hearken to my voice, for I will be your God, and you shall be my people” (Jer 7: 23).

Among the speakers who highlighted the call to the President to manifest a deeper faith in the nation’s human resource and to respect fundamental human realities was Pastor Reyzel Cayanan of the Baptist group Biblemode Youth.

Invest in a robust population; respect laws on marriage, life

“We are a young nation with a robust and vibrant population. This is our primary and ultimate resource, our basic and abiding strength. We only need to invest in it and develop it.

“We are a nation of believers, and that is a source of an even greater strength,” Cayanan continued.

“Contrary to the error insisted upon by the dogma of political correctness, faith and democracy can coexist, without one harming the other. For as Alexis de Tocqueville points out, ‘despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.’”

“We must reject the proposition that we could enact a law – any law – that removes the most fundamental area of human behavior, such as the intimate exercise of the procreative and unitive aspect of every marriage, from regulation of the moral law,” he said.

Eleanore Palabyab, M.D., president of Doctors for Life, asserted that the more serious kind of corruption than the kind on which the President’s campaign message is hinged—was the rejection of the laws of God and the twisting of moral principles merely to satisfy the dictates and whims of the flesh.

“Aming dalangin na maging malinaw sana sa ating Pangulo ang kanyang tungkulin na ipagtanggol ang buong katotohanan tungkol sa kabanalan ng pamilya, pag-aasawa at buhay,” Palabyab said.

Other speakers during the SSONA were former Congressman Bienvenido “Benny” Abante, former Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) chief Bro. Rolando Dizon, Soldiers of Christ elder Erlinda Arcadia, and World Youth Alliance Asia-Pacific (WYAAP) regional director Renelyn Tan.

Besides matters of life, family and marriage, also taken up during the over two-hour SSONA were the state of the economy, the poverty picture, the plight of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), peace and order, education, health care, environmental concerns, agrarian reform, foreign affairs, the fight against corruption, and electoral reforms.

The SSONA was preceded by a Eucharistic celebration at nearby Santuario de San Jose Parish. Officiating the mass was Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo together with other clergy; the homily was delivered by healing priest Fr. Fernando Suarez.

Various faith-based groups, socio-civic organizations and youth representatives marched from the church to Club Filipino, with some youth groups staging dynamic demonstrations of pro-life sentiments right outside the club. (Diana Uichanco)

Monday, July 18, 2011

The fight versus the RH Bill is not just a "Catholic thing"

An interesting news article from the Varsitarian (emphases mine):

Forty groups launch coalition vs RH bill

July 15, 6:35 p.m. - Religious and sociocivic organizations convened today to reaffirm their opposition to the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, with Congress set to resume sessions later this month.

Catholic, Baptist, and Muslim leaders, as well as non-government groups led by Pro-Life Philippines, have joined together to form the "Pro-Life Coalition" to ramp up opposition to the RH bill, which aims to channel billions of pesos in state funds to a massive birth-control program.

In a statement, coalition members said they would give their "unwavering support to all pro-poor programs of the present administration" but would "strongly oppose and vehemently resist all moves by any individual, group or institution to enact the RH Bill into law.”

“We fully stand behind more socially and morally relevant bills, like the Right to Information Act, that will significantly bolster the war against corruption in all levels of government,” said the statement, read by Baptist preacher Bienvenido Abante, a former Manila congressman.

“All the attempts to pass the bill are works not according to the will of God,” Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said. “We must have an effort to preserve life in all aspects.”

Former Senator Francisco Tatad of the International Right to Life Federation challenged President Benigno S. Aquino III to protect the pro-life legacy of his mother, former president Corazon Aquino. “Many parts of the constitution are pro-life and it is because of late Cory Aquino,” Tatad said.

Tatad pointed out that 42 countries are already experiencing declining birth rates, and even Russia, whose population is on a decline, has recognized the errors of birth control.

“Birth control is not the essential component of marriage and politicians should recognize that demography affects the world," said Tatad, a former Varsitarian editor.

The press conference at Club Filipino in San Juan was held in line with the upcoming 43rd anniversary of Humanae Vitae, the papal document that reaffirmed the Catholic Church's teaching against artificial birth control.

The Pro-Life Coalition will hold a "People's Congress" on July 25 to call on lawmakers to junk the RH bill, on the same day as the President's state of the nation address. James Bryan J. Agustin