Narrative
Two Friday mornings, I spent listening to talks about the controversial Reproductive Health Bill, canonical aspects of marriage, typical after-marriage scenarios in the Philippines and many other relevant things in between that promotes understanding and awareness to people in general.
On February 11, 2011, I attended the talk on the RH Bill and learned about the deeper grounds where anti people base their stand. Attorney Luis Sison, his wife who is a doctor, and son-in-law who's also a lawyer talked not only about the legal aspects but more importantly on the medical, moral and demographical sides of the issue. Interestingly, the talk goes to show the grand deception that the pro offers and in turn a number of Filipinos are blindly accepting. The emphasized that this whole thinking that RH Bill protects the health of the women and future generations is completely a rubbish for it, in fact, avoids the very vital meaning of conception. Accordingly, it is all about contraception to extinction. It doesn't protect life at all. It provides merely for the selfish intentions of the seemingly strong and wise but actually shallow and weak. It drives life away from coming in to being. Furthermore, they mentioned that there are two reasons why anybody does anything" --why people do things they do. First is the good reason which in this case happens to be the need for maternal care and poverty resolve. Second is the real reason. That is, population control and unawarely, to favor the security interest of the developed countries --the USA in particular-- for fewer number of people means fewer Filipinos consuming their own resources.
They opened up again the fact that poverty is the country's never-changing problem. And why is there poverty? Cleary, it isn't because of overpopulation but, they strongly believe, it's about corruption. They ended their advocative talk by encouraging the audience to take a stand against the passing of the RH Bill and to recruit and evangelize others by sharing with them the things they need to know. |
Mark 10:9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.
Another Friday, March 11,2011 I attended to a talk on the canonical aspects of marriage with Bishop Oscar dela Cruz as the speaker. The following points were emphasized:
1. Marriage means two becomes one. It needs the capacity to support each other and not just depend on the parents after. With his fatherly convincing tone, he said "Kung hindi niyo kayang mag-asawa, 'wag mag-asawa." As if he's scolding us students.
2. The gradual process leading to marriage:
a. Acceptance study
b. Courtship evaluation
c. Steady relationship - the person is more important
d. Engagement formulation
e. Marriage schedule
3. The Danger Signals
a. Mental impairment
b. Emotional instability
c. Excessive jealousy - when uncertain and insecure; one doesn't own the other
d. Angry disposition
e. Substance-related disorder
f. Alcohol addiction
g. Personality change
h. Double personality
i. Anxiety disorder
j. Sexual identity disorder
k. Impulse control disorder
l. Anti-social personality
3. Marriage Impediments
a. If less than 16 years old (immature, unstable and dependent)
b. Impotence
c. Existence of previous marriage bond - here he made us think about and strongly recommended that we should not marry someone who left another for us.
d. Priests / Nuns
e. Relatives
4. Grounds for annulment
a. Violence
b. Infidelity
c. Abandonment
He concluded the talk by sharing to us something about the RH Bill. He pointed out that marriage is an obligation of sarap at hirap for a lifetime. And the RH Bill wrongly separates sarap from hirap. Also, in contrast to the name and the goal, the reproductive health bill is actually counter reproductive and invades the health of the women. |
Credits to Adrian Espino for the pictures on this page
Reflection
I've always loved talks. I am the kind who make it to a point that no matter how boring or lame speakers can become, I still involve myself and really convince myself to get interested. The talks I've been to were surprisingly interesting. It invoked to me awareness on the things that has been happening around particularly the RH Bill. It made me make a stand and share with others my knowledge on the issue. Honestly, I found it alarming (and annoying) that when somebody speaks in front, most people doesn't seem to care. Students goes busy with their iPod's, they talk, repeatedly looks at their watches and so on. And so on. Enough said. I got carried away.
I really do not know what to put here. Does it really have to be two-page long? Okay, game. |
Nakatira ako sa likod ng La Salle kung saan may mga murang room for rent. Hindi na bago sa akin ang mga naghihiyawang bata tuwing hapon na kung makapagmura eh para bang wala ng bukas. Hindi narin bago sa akin 'yung mga tambay na walang ginawa kundi magpustahan sa basketbol. Sa totoo lang, ayoko lumalabas ng hapon sa kalsada dahil 'yun 'yung ginagawa nilang court. Kung swerte ka at magaling umilag, hindi ka matatamaan ng bola. Pero kung hindi, good luck nalang. Sa lugar kung saan araw-araw akong dumadaan papasok o pauwi galing sa school, makikita mo talaga na hirap ang mga tao. Halos gabi-gabi ay may mga batang kumakalampag sa gate namin para manghingi ng basura. Nung una akala ko mabait lang talaga at masipag magtapon, yun pala eh may bayad. Bigyan mo lang sila ng limang piso o sampu okay na. May mga umagang ako naman mismo yung nagtatapon. At sa mga umagang yon nakikita ko naman si ate na hindi ko alam ang pangalan na naghahalungkat ng basura at nagbabaka-sakaling may mga basyong pwedeng ibenta. Wala lang. Nakakalungkot kasing isipin na masyadong malaki talaga ang problema ng Pilipinas. Gusto kong maniwala na korapsyon talaga ang puno't ugat nito kaso wala akong pruweba. Ano ngayon ang konek nito sa pre-cana seminar? Hindi ko din alam pero sa tingin ko kasi kung mas magiging responsable lang yung mga kababayan natin, kung meron lang tayong malasakit sa isa't-isa, kung hindi lang ang kapakanan natin ang iniisip natin... edi mas maginhawa. Siguro nga hindi ganun kadali.
This pre-cana seminar reminded me of what the things I already know but fail to act up on. It is on the very least of my perceived learnings that I can accommodate the idea of these talks being able to prepare me for marriage. Maybe because of my thinking that I'm still on an early age and that I don't need it just yet. Indeed it thought me technicalities, arguments and facts. Yet surely, it moved my imagination. I strayed me from the crooked path of my beliefs not just on marriage but on life in general as well. |
They opened up again the fact that poverty is the country's never-changing problem. And why is there poverty? Cleary, it isn't because of overpopulation but, they strongly believe, it's about corruption. They ended their advocative talk by encouraging the audience to take a stand against the passing of the RH Bill and to recruit and evangelize others by sharing with them the things they need to know. |
Mark 10:9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.
Another Friday, March 11,2011 I attended to a talk on the canonical aspects of marriage with Bishop Oscar dela Cruz as the speaker. The following points were emphasized:
1. Marriage means two becomes one. It needs the capacity to support each other and not just depend on the parents after. With his fatherly convincing tone, he said "Kung hindi niyo kayang mag-asawa, 'wag mag-asawa." As if he's scolding us students.
2. The gradual process leading to marriage:
a. Acceptance study
b. Courtship evaluation
c. Steady relationship - the person is more important
d. Engagement formulation
e. Marriage schedule
3. The Danger Signals
a. Mental impairment
b. Emotional instability
c. Excessive jealousy - when uncertain and insecure; one doesn't own the other
d. Angry disposition
e. Substance-related disorder
f. Alcohol addiction
g. Personality change
h. Double personality
i. Anxiety disorder
j. Sexual identity disorder
k. Impulse control disorder
l. Anti-social personality
3. Marriage Impediments
a. If less than 16 years old (immature, unstable and dependent)
b. Impotence
c. Existence of previous marriage bond - here he made us think about and strongly recommended that we should not marry someone who left another for us.
d. Priests / Nuns
e. Relatives
4. Grounds for annulment
a. Violence
b. Infidelity
c. Abandonment
He concluded the talk by sharing to us something about the RH Bill. He pointed out that marriage is an obligation of sarap at hirap for a lifetime. And the RH Bill wrongly separates sarap from hirap. Also, in contrast to the name and the goal, the reproductive health bill is actually counter reproductive and invades the health of the women. |
Reflection
I've always loved talks. I am the kind who make it to a point that no matter how boring or lame speakers can become, I still involve myself and really convince myself to get interested. The talks I've been to were surprisingly interesting. It invoked to me awareness on the things that has been happening around particularly the RH Bill. It made me make a stand and share with others my knowledge on the issue. Honestly, I found it alarming (and annoying) that when somebody speaks in front, most people doesn't seem to care. Students goes busy with their iPod's, they talk, repeatedly looks at their watches and so on. And so on. Enough said. I got carried away.
I really do not know what to put here. Does it really have to be two-page long? Okay, game. |
Nakatira ako sa likod ng La Salle kung saan may mga murang room for rent. Hindi na bago sa akin ang mga naghihiyawang bata tuwing hapon na kung makapagmura eh para bang wala ng bukas. Hindi narin bago sa akin 'yung mga tambay na walang ginawa kundi magpustahan sa basketbol. Sa totoo lang, ayoko lumalabas ng hapon sa kalsada dahil 'yun 'yung ginagawa nilang court. Kung swerte ka at magaling umilag, hindi ka matatamaan ng bola. Pero kung hindi, good luck nalang. Sa lugar kung saan araw-araw akong dumadaan papasok o pauwi galing sa school, makikita mo talaga na hirap ang mga tao. Halos gabi-gabi ay may mga batang kumakalampag sa gate namin para manghingi ng basura. Nung una akala ko mabait lang talaga at masipag magtapon, yun pala eh may bayad. Bigyan mo lang sila ng limang piso o sampu okay na. May mga umagang ako naman mismo yung nagtatapon. At sa mga umagang yon nakikita ko naman si ate na hindi ko alam ang pangalan na naghahalungkat ng basura at nagbabaka-sakaling may mga basyong pwedeng ibenta. Wala lang. Nakakalungkot kasing isipin na masyadong malaki talaga ang problema ng Pilipinas. Gusto kong maniwala na korapsyon talaga ang puno't ugat nito kaso wala akong pruweba. Ano ngayon ang konek nito sa pre-cana seminar? Hindi ko din alam pero sa tingin ko kasi kung mas magiging responsable lang yung mga kababayan natin, kung meron lang tayong malasakit sa isa't-isa, kung hindi lang ang kapakanan natin ang iniisip natin... edi mas maginhawa. Siguro nga hindi ganun kadali.
This pre-cana seminar reminded me of what the things I already know but fail to act up on. It is on the very least of my perceived learnings that I can accommodate the idea of these talks being able to prepare me for marriage. Maybe because of my thinking that I'm still on an early age and that I don't need it just yet. Indeed it thought me technicalities, arguments and facts. Yet surely, it moved my imagination. I strayed me from the crooked path of my beliefs not just on marriage but on life in general as well. |