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| Photo by Joanna Conde |
Walking towards the altar wearing a Jose Rizal costume while there is an
on-going mass is one story but holding a placard with “Damaso” written
in bold letters and raising it is another.
It takes courage for one to voice out negative sentiments in front of high officials but Carlos Celdran have the guts to do it.
Everyone present at the Manila Cathedral last September 30 was
surprised to see him shout “Stop getting involved in to politics” as he
referred to the church officials and compared them to Noli Me Tangere’s
villain Padre Damaso. Some officials present were Archbishop of Manila
Gaudencio Rosales, Papal Nuncio Edward Adams and the City of Manila’s
Mayor Alfredo Lim.
For this 37-year old famed tour guide, exasperation brought him to face these officials and say his piece.
“I had enough, I just had enough. They (Church) held this country of
hostage since the time of Noy-Noy’s mother,” says Celdran on an
exclusive interview with Metro Bullet.
Celdran and RH BILL versus the Church
Five years ago, Celdran started giving out condoms and birth controls
in Intramuros showing that his advocacy for birth control has begun
even before the controversial Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) came
out.
“I really think that our population growth is the very basis why
we’re not going anywhere. Right now, the world is running out of
resources, the Philippines is running out of resources.” says Celdran
when asked why he is in favor of the RH Bill.
Celdran also shared that he is not really against population growth
because he believes that every population has to grow, what he opposes
is the fast growing rate. People’s health is also one of his concerns as
he said that most of the pregnancies nowadays are unwanted, the child
therefore is also unwanted and will just be an addition to society.
The RH Bill was drafted by House Representative Edcel Lagman in 2008
under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration and it
has long been controversial because some conservative citizens were
strongly against it. Religion is an added factor for other citizens to
oppose the bill, since it connotes a negative impression especially
because it contains Sex Education for Elementary students and it allots
funds for birth control. There were even revisions made to compensate
to the Catholic community but still it was not enough.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is strongly
against the bill. Meanwhile, President Benigno Aquino III already
showed his support in passing the RH Bill that is why the issue became
controversial again, pushing Celdran to protest during an ecumenical
service.
“The thing that’s great about the RH bill is that it ties everything
in there, from day care, to maternal care to prevention of HIV and AIDS
because of sex education. There are so many good things going on in that
bill and the ‘friars’ keep on pointing out things that are not in
there. There’s no abortion in there or whatsoever,” says Celdran.
He added that a lot of people are upset about the ‘If you don’t give
Reproductive Health Services, you’ll go to jail’. Celdran said that it
is just a misconception since the‘jailing issue’ part is not a scope of
the RH Bill instead, it is part of the PhilHealth Bill.
According to him, Reproductive Health is a service, surgery and
emergency are also part of that service and if one denies helping any
person who needs the service then he/she can be jailed.
The 30th of September
It’s a good thing Celdran was lucky for his bishop costume got stuck
in traffic somewhere in Cubao because if not he would have offended the
Church all the more for he’ll come as Damaso himself.
“Damaso is the image on Jose Rizal’s novel of the abusive friar who
used his powers to get he wants. And I feel like the bishops in the
Philippines are exactly like Damaso because they are abusive friars who
uses their powers to get what they want,” he said when asked why he
chose the image of Damaso in his placard.
Despite his good intentions, the Church officials still sued him and
he was put to jail for he violated the Article 133 of the Revised Penal
Code, which prohibits “offending religious feelings.”
He became an instant celebrity and gained a lot of compliments over
the internet. Some even consider him a hero for his message was truly an
eye-opener for the society; however, some also criticize his act for
these people think that he was immoral to do such act inside a sacred
place. Celdran emphasized that he never wanted to hold the title “hero”
for he thinks what he have done isn’t heroic at all.
“Everything was fortuitous. It’s like jumping into a swimming pool
you just have to get yourself the strength and just do it. And when
you’re standing in front of there, it’s amazing how calm you are, even
when you’ve done the did you’re already there, you just ride it,” he
said as he explained his experience in Manila Cathedral.
For Celdran, his jailing experience was an eye-opener, because it
helped him see what the police in the Philppines are dealing with. He
said people can’t really complain about the way the police perform since
their office is like a dump.
