MANILA, Philippines—Stressing that he was not out to antagonize the Catholic Church, controversial tour guide Carlos Celdran Tuesday distributed stickers and pamphlets encouraging support for the reproductive health bill to churchgoers and passersby at the Quiapo Church in Manila.
Celdran, in a white “I heart Quiapo” T-shirt under his signature Jose Rizal bowler, maintained he was at the church merely to support the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network as a “freelancer.”
Last month he was caught on CCTV tearing down an anti-reproductive health bill banner outside the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) office in Intramuros.
Prior to that, he was arrested for disrupting a Manila Cathedral service by holding up a placard with the name of a Rizal character on it that suggested bishops were oppressors.
He told reporters he and the network did not intend to taunt the Church by distributing pro-RH literature but merely remind its hierarchy to stay focused on issues concerning her flock.
“Everyone’s supportive (of our advocacy), especially the Philippine masses. We are not taunting them (Catholic Church). We are just making them focus. They seem to be focused on the RH bill that they seem to be forgetting everything else when it comes to leading the flock,” he said.