Buhay Party-list to give pro-life advocates voice in Congress

CEBU, Philippines - A local church official believes that the Catholic Church and pro-life advocates still have a huge voice in Congress even if not all “Team Buhay” members won in the last elections.

Msgr. Esteban Binghay, Episcopal Vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said that the three representatives of the Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) Party-list can fill in the gap. Buhay Party-list topped in the party-list elections with over 1.5 million votes securing three seats in the coming 16th Congress. It was among the top 14 party-lists already proclaimed by the Commission on Elections.

“Ang Buhay party-list, mao ni ang gisuportahan sa simbahan kay mau man ni sila ang nagpaluyo sa pag-repeal sa Reproductive Health Law. Wala man gyud madala ang tanan, pero wa sad ta na-zerohan, nasulod gihapon ang atong mga gipangkampanyahan,” Binghay said.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website reported that, Lito Atienza, one of the three Buhay representatives, will work for the amendment or repeal of RH Law to remove the “condemnable” provisions.

Binghay said that the Buhay Party-list will serve as watchdog in Congress to ensure that all laws passed shall conform to the will of God.

“Sila na maoy mobantay sa ipapasar nga balaud nga takdo pod sa atong kultura, pagtuo sa mga Katoliko ug Kristiyanos, kay sila may nahibalo ug unsay pagtulun-an sa simbahan,” Binghay said.

Binghay lamented that while most of those who are in Congress and even our political leaders are Catholics but their ways do not conform to the teachings of the Church.

“Almost all of them (politicians) are Catholics or Christians, pero ang ilang pamaagi wa matakdo sa unsay nakat-unan ug unsay pagtulun-an sa simbahan. Ang ilang buhat wala giyahi sa pagtuo, maung nagkabuang,” Binghay said.

Aside from Atienza, the two other nominees of Buhay Party-list are Mariano Michael Velarde, Jr. and William Irwin C. Tieng.

Buhay was formed on October 20, 1999 in the City of Manila. Its members include Melquiades Robles, Atty. Melchor Monsod, Atty. Emmanuel Sison, Atty. Norberto Enriquez, and Atty. Jaime Valencia, Jr.

Buhay Partylist is responsible in the passage of Republic Act 9346 titled “An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines” and Republic Act 9775 titled “An Act Defining the Crime of Child Pornography and Imposing Penalties therefore and for other purposes”, among others.

Binghay is hoping that the group will succeed in preventing the passage of bills like divorce, same sex marriage, euthanasia and other anti-life laws in the future.  (FREEMAN)