Palma: Uphold your dignity, avoid temptations

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma advised young people to value their dignity and be careful of “temptations” in the wake of the sex video scandal involving a female college student.

He said he would leave it to the “wisdom of the school administrators” of the Catholic university to handle the case.

“We know that youth is a turbulent age. There could be temptations left and right. We do not condemn people who might have been drawn to this sad experience. We exhort the youth to be mindful of their precious young age and be to be able to realize that many times their actions may not be that serious but it has its consequences,” Palma told reporters.

“They have to be extra careful with everything they do. They have something very precious to hold on to, take care and develop and that’s their future, studies, and development of their personality.”

Palma said he would “ trust the wisdom of the school administrators” in handling the case.

“Hopefully in the future we can sit down and discern more, address the issue.”

“We remind the university to be true to their challenge of academic excellence, to be able to cope up with challenge of moral times in terms of advancement of studies, and to be true their mission to promote unity and spread the doctrine of the Church,” said Palma.

SEX EDUCATION

Tessie Fernandez of Lihok Filipina, a non-government organization that promotes women’s rights, said the incident mirrors how children are raised by their parents.

“Parents have a big influence in molding their children. We have to first teach sex education at home. Our parents are not open to sex education. That is the reason children tend to become curious and want to explore,” Fernandez said.

She also called for the responsible use of mobile devices.

“We are responsible for our gadgets. We should use it to become a better person and not to embarrass others,” she said.

She said what happened also showed neglect for the basic value of self-respect.

Archbishop Emeritus of Cebu Ricardo Cardinal Vidal also urged the public to stop disseminating the sex video.

“We have not been remiss in trying to prevent the dissemination (of immoral videos). But when it comes to commercialization, we can’t do much,” he said.

“Of course, we have to pray for everybody especially those who are in need,” he said.

Lawyer Earl Bonachita, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu City chapter, advised people who have a copy of the video to delete it “otherwise they can be charged for illegally sharing it.”

Republic Act 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 penalizes anyone who “sells, shares, shows, or exhibits” the sex video or photo without the consent of the persons involved in the video or photo.

Violators face a jail term of three to seven years, or a fine of P100,000 to P500,000 or both as decided by the court./ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL