Catholics in Central, Northern Luzon also protest RH bill

Students from Catholic schools, religious, civic groups, seminarians and clergies from the Diocese of Lucena in Lucena City marched from the Saint Ferdinand Cathedral to the Quezon Convention Center on Saturday to protest against the controversial reproductive health bill. DELFIN T. MALLARI JR./INQUIRER

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—Seventy-five parishes in Pampanga sent hundreds of representatives to the rally organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines at the Edsa Shrine in Metro Manila while Catholic faithful in other parts of Luzon held similar protests against the RH bill in their respective localities on Saturday.

By noon, the Archdiocesan Council of the Laity and Holy Rosary Parish had sent seven busloads of representatives from Angeles City. The Angeles University Foundation sent three busloads of students and personnel.

The 75 parishes in the archdiocese sent their respective delegations, said Willie Suarez, chair of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Pampanga.

Suarez said Catholics in the province have been encouraged to fast and abstain on Monday, to seek the intercession of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary in convincing members of Congress to take a pro-life stance and vote against the RH bill..

In Nueva Ecija, the various councils of the Knights of Columbus in the Catholic Dioceses of Cabanatuan and San Jose described the RH bill as an “anti-life legislation.”

The KOC’s Padre Crisostomo Council 6000 in the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish said it advocates “full legal protection of embryos and fetuses” as its sees the RH bill as “the legalization of induced abortion.”

The Diocesan Youth Commission placed a “fight for life” ribbon, accompanied by an image of a mother and child, as the group’s profile picture in its Facebook account.

In Baguio City, about 1,000 members of Catholic Church organizations, priests and nuns braved the strong rains and marched down Session Road to protest the RH bill. They carried placards, posters and streamers calling for the junking of the bill.

After the march, they gathered at the Baguio Cathedral where Bishop Carlito Cenzon and at least 20 priests celebrated Mass at which they appealed to lawmakers to reject the measure that they described as anti-life and which does not respect the sanctity of marriage.

In Pangasinan, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas led a prayer rally on Saturday to voice the Catholic Church’s position on the RH bill.

Villegas, in an advisory sent to reporters, said the prayer rally was  held “for the protection of families and preservation of reverence for life in the womb.”

The event started with a Mass at the St. John’s Cathedral in Dagupan City. A candle lighting ceremony followed.

Reports from Tonette Orejas and Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon, and Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon