MANILA, Philippines – Catholic bishops yesterday slammed the launching of Playboy magazine in the country, saying it would aggravate the sexual permissiveness of Filipinos, especially the youth.
Palawan Bishop Pedro Arigo said the Philippine edition of Playboy only proves the proliferation of obscene materials, which could be an indicator of “declining moral values among the current generation of Filipinos.”
“We are already a lost generation. Allowing these types of obscene materials to flourish could add to the degeneration of our sexual culture,” the prelate said in a statement posted at the www.cbcpnews.com, website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
CBCP spokesman Msgr. Pedro Quitorio said the bishops are likely to seek the ban of the magazine despite a reported editorial policy to avoid full frontal nudity in the Philippine edition.
“Whatever its content, if it would destroy the moral stature of the people, it should not be permitted here,” Quitorio said.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, for his part, said that pornographic materials are things that lay people should shun.
“It means to say that we are drifting away from morality and these are indications that we failed to inculcate the right value system among our people,” the senior bishop explained.
Playboy Philippines editor Beting Laygo Dolor earlier promised a tamer edition than other international versions, and said they will try to “avoid offending local sensibilities.”
He said the magazine would not deal so much on nudity but on “intelligent and well-written” articles.
“The Philippine edition has been adjusted to our culture, including the fact that we are a predominantly Catholic country and a little more conservative,” he said.
Still, the bishops expect the magazine would lead to disorder in sexual attitudes, especially among young Filipinos.
Mati, Davao Oriental Bishop Patricio Alo said magazines and other materials that promote pornography have been negatively influencing the minds and actions of the people.
“It is because of the media impact and Internet that many people dress immodestly and meet the temptations of sex based too on the innate effects of original sin that makes us prone to sin,” said Alo. “Whether you pretend to be invulnerable or not, man is ever weak in himself.”
However, Alo added that “we cannot keep on giving personal excuses because God has provided the source of strength and these can be found in prayer and in the sacraments.”
He also said that reproductive health agenda through the use of contraceptive pills is also being promoted by media, adding that such method is futile because it only results in uncontrolled sex.
“See the consequences. The rise of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, the AIDS epidemic with no clear cure or solution, the millions of abortions, the numberless divorces, and the spread of venereal diseases,” Alo said.
The only way to eradicate all these, he said, is to follow God’s plan for our lives.
“Abstinence before marriage and fidelity after – you need God’s grace for this, which is our point here,” the bishop said.