Monday, November 17, 2008 Apu Ceto: ‘We're willing to consider RH Bill’
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Archbishop Paciano Aniceto said Sunday that several bishops are "willing to consider" the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, or House Bill (HB) 5043, but "only with the amendments the bishops see fit."
The HB 5043 was principally authored by Representative Edcel Lagman of Albay and co-authored by Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Health committee chairman Representative Arthur Pinggoy.
The influential prelate of this archdiocese, who also chairs the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) Commission on Family and Life, said the lawmakers should "ensure the RH bill would recognize, preserve and safeguard freedom of conscience and religion" and inspire the parents "not only to be responsible but to be heroic...in their duties as parents."
Aniceto said the CBCP has just released a pastoral statement last week informing the legislators of their "willingness" for a dialogue "in the spirit of humility and truth."
A copy of the pastoral statement reads; "Even as we recognize the right of the government to enact laws, we also reiterate that there must be no separation between God and man. We appeal to our legislators to state in the Bill in clear categorical terms that human life from the moment of conception is sacred."
The letter, which was signed by CBCP head Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, said: "Without these conditions, the bill, if enacted into law, will separate our nation from Almighty God." The bishops maintained that the bill contains portions that encourage abortion which the church could not be in agreement with.
"It is our collective discernment that the bill in its present form poses a serious threat to life of infants in the womb. It is a source of danger for the stability of the family," the pastoral statement said.
Aniceto added the debate over the RH bill "is not a statistical race," which is why the bishops seek "to provide proper guidance and moral instructions to our congressmen."
Last month, the archbishop assailed the recent survey of the Social Weather Station showing majority of Filipino Catholics favor the RH Bill, calling it "misleading" and meant to counter the signature drive being undertaken by the CBCP through all the archdioceses and parishes in the country.
He said the poll showing "strong Catholic support" for the reproductive health bill is a "mind-conditioning strategy" by those behind the bill.
Locally, Aniceto and members of the Pampanga Clergy launched a drive seeking to gather a million signatures against the RH bill. The archbishop himself was the first to sign the campaign during the 52nd Canonical Coronation of the Virgen Delos Remedios here on September 8, where he called on thousands of Marian devotees to say "Yes to Life! No to death!" and counter the RH bill.
As with the amendments on the bill, the archbishop said the CBCP strongly stands on its ground that "if not corrected of fatal flaws, the bill would be "unacceptable" to the leaders of the church. (JTD)
