I was in the prayer rally

I was in the prayer rally! And it was tiring but a liberating experience!

I went to EDSA Shrine on August 4, 2012 to join Roman Catholics and pro-life advocates to pray for the dismissal of House Bill (HB) 4244 also known as "The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2011" and express publicly such a stand.

A few days after President Benigno Aquino III's State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on July 23 and the subsequent House leaders' vow to vote on the bill on August 7, the catholic bishops called and campaigned for a prayer rally to be held in various major cities and set the date to August 4.


I joined a couple of my friends and colleagues to EDSA Shrine. Since Saturday is a half-day work-day for me, we were only able to leave our office at noontime. On the way, we monitored the event through Radio Veritas.

We arrived around 3pm at the shopping mall near the Shrine. The mall crowd was noticeably bigger and many people were wearing colored "red" attires, the color motif set by the rally organizers.

The foot-bridges along EDSA were filled with people. We slowly inched our way to a spot overlooking the stage. People were patiently listening to the invited speakers. There were around 5 to 6 thousand people amassing around the Shrine. I saw old friends and acquaintances in the crowd.

All the time, the sun was covered with heavy clouds and there was occasional drizzles. At around 4pm, a short but heavy rainfall occurred. People didn't budge; they were ready with their raincoats and umbrellas. They waited for the rain to stop. It was a good thing it only lasted for a few minutes.

Several lawmakers opposed to the bill, senators and representatives, came to grace the event. One by one they were presented and each of them was greeted by huge applauses by the crowd.

At around 6pm, a concelebrated mass was held. A big part of the crowd did not move nor leave. They stayed up to the end of the mass at 7pm. Right after the mass, the prayer rally was concluded and the crowd was dismissed. Slowly, cheerfully and serenely the crowd moved out. The prayer rally was conducted very peacefully.

I took some pictures during the event and it can be viewed HERE. (Click "HERE" to view photos.)

My personal remarks

I think it was an excellent decision to hold the event in EDSA Shrine, rather than in Rizal Park, where a big shopping mall and major transportation thorough-fares are just right next to it. It was easier for groups and individuals to come and join. Had the weather been fine and sunny, there could have been a bigger crowd. Besides, it was a prayer rally and it was justifiable to hold the event in a church, whether a big crowd came or not.

The Catholic bishops and pro-life advocates are doing the right thing to stand-up and publicly declare their opposition to the bill, in my opinion.

I am also personally convinced that the bill will not do the Filipino people any good. I am really surprised some of our lawmakers, who are expected to be patriotic, are endorsing this bill. I believe all the avowed noble aims and objectives of the bill do not truthfully reflect the real nature of the bill's main component: contraception. It is deceptive.

The experiences of other countries who implemented, in the past, some forms of massive campaign for contraceptive practice are sufficient to foresee the impact of such law to our nation's future. These countries are now frantically trying to correct the seemingly irreversible decline in birth rates and aging of their population. I believe it is a big deception to sarcastically dismiss and claim such a possibility will not happen to us. Many times history repeats itself, especially to those who do not heed its lessons.

I hope and pray the bill will be dismissed and shelved come August 7.