Despite the short notice and the ongoing final examinations in most schools, hundreds of youth and pro-life supporters from various institutions and organizations in Iloilo City gathered in a youth forum on the controversial reproductive health bill.
Organized by the Commission on Family and Life of the Archdiocese of Jaro and the Citizens for Life in cooperation with the University of San Agustin, the forum was held on March 16 at the University of San Agustin.
Speakers include 1st District Davao City Congressman Karlo Nograles and 2nd District Lanao del Norte Congresswoman Fatima Aliah Dimaporo, along with World Youth Alliance representative Renelyn Tan who clarified issues surrounding the controversial bill and highlighted its negative impact on the youth sector.
Tan encouraged the youth to get themselves responsibly informed and to be more critical on the consequences of the laws being crafted, especially the RH Bill in its present version.
She emphasized that the youth must be heard because they are the future leaders of the country.
There is no use of becoming a leader, she said, if as an effect of population control, there will be nobody to serve.
She also presented key points of the RH Bill that clarified the position of the pro-life movement.
Nograles, meanwhile, revealed that if the RH bill is passed into legislation, educational and structural developments will be sacrificed since emphasis will be given to the promulgation of the RH Bill such as allocations for contraceptives which will be distributed to the youth.
Nograles said that, instead of giving contraceptives to the people, the government should focus on educating the youth. He further rebuked the lengthy sex education program which will be imposed once the RH bill is passed by asking, “Do you want your children to master sex before they graduate high school?”
For her part, Dimaporo explained the rights of citizens and the duties of the legislators to preserve and uphold the rights of the family.
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, who was also present in the forum, lauded the efforts of nine young solons in Congress, known as the “9YL” or the “Nine Young Legislators”, who “are swimming against the tide” and are fighting for the right to life.
He encouraged everyone to pray for the young solons that they will never stop the fight.
After the talks, Dr. Dolores Octaviano, of the Archdiocesan Commission on Family and Life, gave enlightening comments about the contraceptive mentality that the RH Bill will perpetuate among the youth.
She stressed that the impact will be so alarming to the extent that the youth will unconsciously learn how to “kill the unborn” without being guilty about it.
Discussions and open forum followed the talks which covered public issues and unspoken experiences of the youth about the RH Bill, proving that the younger generation strongly disagrees to a culture of death and immorality that is imposed by the proposed measure.
The forum ended with a song number from the singing priest Fr. Jonas Mejares, OSA, who serenaded the youth with classic love songs.
The youth forum was in response to reports that the RH Bill will be hastened into legislation before Congress adjourns for the Holy Week recess.
But the last day of plenary sessions in Congress ended without tackling the bill, seemingly an indication of lawmakers’ waning interest on the divisive measure. House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte has been quoted as saying there are members of the House leadership and majority coalition who are opposed to the bill. (Elena D. Santisteban, Jayrel Javier Encontro, and Fr. Mickey Cardenas)
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