Although retired Vidal vows to continue fighting RH Bill

CEBU, Philippines - Retired Cebu archbishop Ricardo Vidal said his fight against Reproductive Health Bill will continue even if he is already not actively serving the church.

In his homily during his birthday Mass at the Cathedral yesterday dawn, Vidal said althought he is retired, his stand on the controversial bill will not wither and that he will continue to campaign against it.

“The church reaffirms the stand on RH bill to protect especially the youth,” he quoted a pastoral letter released by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

RH bill, according to Vidal, give the youth of today “false sense of security” which can lead them to commit unlawful acts such as “abortion” and adverse effects such as the “rise of sexually transmitted decease.”

He further urged the faithful to listen to him, not just because he is old, but because of a higher will which is the Holy Spirit. “Tumana ninyo ang iyang mga tudlo.”

With so many problems afflicting the society, Vidal asked the faithful to be more proactive for their lives and for the community especially with the issue of reproductive health, which can allegedly destroy human dignity.

“We can not stop standing up and say what we should say,” said Vidal.

Even if it is re-introduced under a new name, the CBCP said it is against the “RH bill in all of its forms and that should be clear.”

Even CBCP President Nereo Odchimar said by issuing their pastoral letter against RH Bill, it’s up to the lay people to further bring their concerns to the government and to other parties.

CBCP Vice-President and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, D.D. said that he has approved plans of showing their utmost disapproval of the passage of the Responsible Parenthood Bill, the new name of RH Bill.

“Certainly there is a plan, the Holy Spirit is our disapproval of the RH Bill…We believe that it is the same, as his eminence (Vidal) would say; it is the same dog with the different collar,” Palma said.

Palma exposed that the CBCP is very disappointed with the move of the Malacañang and some congressmen to urgently pass the Responsible Parenthood Bill.

But before the passage of the new bill, Palma said that there was a scheduled dialoged between the representatives of CBCP and the legislators. Unfortunately, the bill was passed in the committee hearing without proper dialog.

The CBCP’s strong objection against the passage of the Responsible Parenthood Bill comes from the faithful who “don’t want it.

However, Palma “challenge the lay people to discern, reflect and act if they believe that they have the voice” and it should be heard.

Palma said the congressmen, as representatives of the people in the government, should bring with them the true demands of their constituents and should not be influenced by others who have other alternative motives.

Meanwhile, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia backs the stand of the CBCP on the RH Bill.

“I will fully support the CBCP’s stand together with my father, Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia, and my brother Congressman Pablo John Garcia,” said the lady governor.

She even stressed that through her programs, they’ve sent a strong message to the Department of Healthy condemning the bill.

Garcia also reiterated that she considers “every Cebuano birth to be a miracle and a gift from God,” adding that they will build birthing centers throughout the province.

The governor’s project is already set to be implemented any time soon after the provincial government has allocated funds for it this year.

“My target is by the end of 2011, matag lungsod, dakbayan duna gyud usa ka birthing center,” Garcia said. — (FREEMAN)