Carlos Celdran walks free after family posts P6,000 bail

Update 2 - 7:26 p.m. – Manila tour guide and Reproductive Health (RH) bill advocate Carlos Celdran walked free on Friday after his family posted a P6,000 bail. Celdran spent the night at the Manila Police District Station 5 after disrupting a public gathering at the Manila Cathedral on Thursday. According to a GMA Flash report aired Friday afternoon, Celdran was welcomed by his friends and family, who reportedly said they were not in favor of what the RH advocate did but that they understand why he did it. The GMA report said that Celdran went straight home, in the hope of getting some sleep after spending a sleepless night behind bars. GMA reporter Bernadette Reyes said Celdran will go to the United States on Monday for his father's birthday celebration. Celdran reportedly denied, however, that he is planning to flee from his case. Intramuros drama According to the website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Celdran held a protest inside the Manila Cathedral while an interfaith prayer service was going on. Celdran is a known advocate of the controversial RH bill and is usually seen distributing condoms to residents of Intramuros in Manila. The Manila Cathedral is also in Intramuros. On Thursday, Celdran, dressed as the Filipino national hero Jose Rizal, shouted inside the cathedral that the Catholic Church should stop meddling in government affairs, especially in its birth control programs. Celdran held a sign that read "Damaso," referring to Padre Damaso, the antagonist priest in Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere. After yelling "stop getting involved in politics," he was taken away by Manila police for violating Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code, which prohibits "offending religious feelings." Article 133 says "the penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period shall be imposed upon anyone who, in a place devoted to religious worship or during the celebration of any religious ceremony, shall perform acts notoriously offensive to the feelings of the faithful." Celdran has since apologized for the method he used in protesting, but he remains defiant and has vowed to continue supporting the controversial RH bill. Celdran held his protest in front of the Cathedral's main altar, a few meters away from Papal nuncio Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, and other prelates. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, government and police officials were also present during the gathering. On Friday, in two separate rallies in Mendiola and Intramuros in Manila, RH advocates expressed their support for Celdran and President Benigno Aquino III, who recently received the Church's ire for his stance on informed choice and family planning. Meanwhile, more than 10,000 people showed their support for Celdran by joining the Facebook page "Free Carlos Celdran," which was created by his friends. They were "clamoring for his release, condemning the antiquated views of the church, and supporting the Reproductive Health Bill to uplift Filipinos' lives." Celdran to Aquino: I'll go with you if you are excommunicated Meanwhile, Celdran said he was willing to join the President if they will be excommunicated by the Catholic Church for their stand on artificial contraception. "If ever you're going to be excommunicated, sabay tayo (I will go with you)," Celdran said in a Balitanghali report. The issue of Aquino's possible excommunication erupted after Bishop Nereo Odchimar of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) told Radio Veritas that imposing the sanction of excommunication on Aquino was a possibility but not a "proximate possibility." Celdran advised the President "to stay strong." Despite Odchimar's statement, Aquino said he would respect a couple's decision on what birth control method to use. On Friday, Odchimar issued a disclaimer on the CBCP website, denying that there was a threat of excommunication on the President. "While the prevailing sentiment of a number of bishops was that of dismay and frustration... imposition of the canonical sanction has not been contemplated by the CBCP," he said. Celdran's arrest The complaint against Celdran was filed by the Manila Cathedral's rector, Msgr. Nestor Cerbo, as well as the church's security guard. In questioning the basis of his arrest, Celdran said, "Apparently this is a 19th century law from the times of Jose Rizal, some kind of an anti-blasphemy law," said Celdran. Celdran said he has "no hard feelings" against the Church, but added that if the institution meddles in the affairs of the government, "that just pushes me over the edge." Naughty, naughty, naughty After visiting Celdran in jail Thursday night, RH bill author and House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman criticized the Church for allegedly attempting to stifle the tour guide's right to free expression. "It's un-Christian. It's really killing the freedom of expression. We will have to respect religious tenets, but at the same time, give open space to freedom of expression," the lawmaker said. However, Cerbo said their decision to file a complaint against Celdran was nowhere near a violation of a person's right to speak his mind. "You commit a sin there and you call that freedom of expression? That's already pambabastos [disrespect]," Cerbo said. Celdran admitted he did a "very bad, naughty, naughty, naughty thing" but insisted that the recent pronouncements by the Church about the controversial health bill were also offensive. "[The Church's involvement in state affairs is] a violation of my rights," he insisted. Nonetheless, Celdran apologized for causing a stir and issuing his "unapologetic message." Web goes abuzz As soon as news of his detention spread, the blogosphere and social networking websites went abuzz, with netizens mostly in support of Celdran. As of 2:00 p.m. today, close to 10,000 Facebook users have "liked" the "Free Carlos Celdran" Facebook page. Celdran welcomed the public reaction to his act. "Thank you for the overwhelming support. But I'm sure it's more for the cause rather than specifically for me," Celdran said. "It just shows there's a lot of people who believe in the separation of church and state, and that they should not interfere with any of the government's decisions, especially of the President's decisions to give birth control," he said. While most users were all praises for Celdran, there were some who disagreed vociferously with his actions. On the TurfSite Manila blog, "Lino Bruce"exclaimed, "Self promotion! Plain stupidity! He should have not done that! Idol pa naman kita sa tourism industry! Gamitin mo naman utak mo! Stupid move!" Maximo Ramos Jr., in a message he posted on the wall of another fanpage called the "Keep Carlos Celdran In Jail" Facebook page, said Celdran's actions did not sit too well with him. "Sang ayon ako sa ginawa mo..pero sa ibang paraan. Siguro sana hinde sa kalagitnaan ng misa," the Facebook user said. –with Mark Merueñas, Kim Tan, VVP/JV, HS, GMANews.TV