Threat vs solons not a violation of Church, State separation – Bishop

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles on Wednesday defended his threat to encourage the Roman Catholic faithful to reject candidates that support the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill.   Arguelles said it was within his rights to express his views on matters concerning the Roman Catholic Church, such as the RH bill. Furthermore, he argued, his statement did not violate the Constitutional provision on the separation of Church from State.   “Katungkulan namin iyon. Bakit natin gagawing lider iyong mga lumalabag sa utos ng Diyos at ng relihiyon ng nakararaming Pilipino? Kaya nananawagan talaga kami sa mga mananampalataya na huwag iboto iyong mga kontra sa atin at sisira sa ating kaluluwa,” the archbishop said in an interview over GMA News TV program “News To Go.”   He added that the 1987 Constitution does not prohibit the clergy from making an appeal to their parishioners, especially in matters concerning the “right to life.”   “Ang Konstitusyon, para sa pamahalaan iyan. Hindi iyan para sa Simbahan. Hindi pwedeng utusan ng State ang simbahan. Iyan ang separation ng Church and State,” he said.   Article II, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution states that “the separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.” More than 80 percent of the nearly 100 million Filipinos are Roman Catholics, based on government statistics.   Common appeal   Arguelles has said in several news reports that he will personally campaign against pro-RH lawmakers in the 2013 polls.   The Roman Catholic Church, which promotes only natural forms of birth control, opposes the RH bill since it allocates government funds for modern contraceptives.   Arguelles, who used to be an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), even encouraged his fellow Church leaders to join his campaign against lawmakers supporting the controversial measure.   “Tingin ko dapat manawagan ang lahat ng obispo dahil ito ay aming moral obligation… Pag-uusapan siguro namin sa Enero iyan na magkaroon ng common appeal at saka magbigay ng patakaran tungkol sa mga ibobotong kandidato,” he said.   Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, who also opposes the RH bill, meanwhile supported Arguelles’ statement, saying that the 1987 Constitution only prohibits the government from giving “preferential treatment” to any religion.   “Walang nilalabag ang mga obispo na probisyon sa saligang batas dahil maliwanag naman na ang separation of church and state, ang ibig lang sabihin niyan na ang pamahalaan ay hindi maaaring mag-establish ng isang official religion,” Macalintal said in a separate television interview.   Catholics support RH bill   Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, author of the RH bill, however said that his colleagues should not be afraid of some Roman Catholic Church officials' campaign against supporters of the measure.   “Palagay ko hindi matatakot iyan dahil iyan ay walang basehan. Kung mayroon mang Catholic vote, ang Catholic vote ay in favor sa pagsabatas ng RH bill,” Lagman said in a separate interview.   The lawmaker cited various opinion polls which supposedly showed that most Roman Catholics in the country favor the enactment of an RH law.   “Naniniwala sila na hindi tama na ginagamit ang pulpito para sa paglaban sa mga progresibong panukala katulad ng RH bill,” he said.   Macalintal, however, questioned the veracity of these survey results, saying that the questions in these polls are very general.   “‘Yung sinasabi nilang survey, malaking kasinunalingan iyon. Dahil sa survey nila, ang tinatanong: are you in favor of family planning? Of course, lahat naman in favor of family planning,” the election lawyer said.   “Pero naitanong na ba nila: kayong mga katoliko, pabor ba kayo na ang mga anak ninyong grade 5 ay pwede nang magsex education? Kayo ba ay pabor na ang mga grade 5 students ay tuturuan tungkol sa contraceptives?” he added. — DVM, GMA News