SOS receiver now SOS giver

A FEW weeks ago, I attended a meeting organized by DSWD for non-government agencies involved in shelters for abandoned boys and girls, victims of child abuse and street children. I was impressed with the story of the Director of SOS Children’s Village, Mr. Vicente Tejada so I asked him if I could relate his story in my Love Life column. I hope you will also find inspiration in reading the life of Arris Magallanes as he fulfilled his dream in spite of so many odds against him.

“We used to have a happy family despite my parents’ disability—both of them are blind—until one day they decided to separate for some reason. My sister Shelo and I decided to be with our father and our youngest with our mother. Home for us was the Quirino Grandstand, where we were also selling cigarettes as our means of living.

The NAYON NG KABATAAN, a government agency, referred us to SOS Children’s Village Manila. SOS accepted us and showed us how to live a decent way of life. I was ten years old when I was admitted at SOS Children’s Village Manila in October 1989, while my sister Shelo was 12 years old. House four or the “House of Understanding” became our home. Nothing compares to my new home, I thought to myself. I have a bed of my own, my sister has too, food on the table every meal that would not require us to sell cigarettes, brothers and sisters, and above all a mother who takes care and love us even though I know that she is not our real mother. Oh yes, I missed our father, but with the presence of the Village Director, “Papa Noel,” who hugged, talked to and encouraged us, somehow the longing that I felt for my father turned into joy, thinking that I had two fathers.

Our house was sponsored by SwissAir, and one day, a visitor came to our house. She was a former flight attendant of the said airline and her husband was a pilot. Mrs. Messmer approached and asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. I smiled that she had probably expected me to reply A chef or Own a restaurant, seeing me preparing food for my family. But imagine her delighted surprise when I replied, “A pilot!”

Now, most young boys of around ten usually changed their ambitions from day to day, but not Arris. According to him, his determination to become a pilot was instilled in him during an educational tour in Philippine Air Lines.

“At the age of 20, I graduated in college with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Maintenance. After I graduated, I worked in a well-known burger shop, until Swiss Air sponsored my flying school expenses in order for me to obtain a license to become a commercial pilot. Finally in 1998, I finished my bachelor’s degree in Aircraft Maintenance Technology. I further took up more Flying Courses at the Philippine Airlines Flying School. That year, my dream became a reality as I became a Second Pilot Officer of Philippine Airlines, of an International Flight, Manila-San Francisco, California route. “I feel so blessed now! With the help of my SOS family, I have finally reached my dream to soar up in the sky. Not only that, I am now starting to have a family of my own. Together with my beloved wife, Misty, we will be building our own family with dedication and unconditional love. “Memories… memories we have lots of them in SOS our home, I will never forget the people who mold our characters, and the benefactors who are continuously providing us with the much-needed financial and personal support.”

According to Mr. Tejada, Arris, in his pilot’s uniform, visits SOS Village many times a year to bring snacks, school supplies, and household items. Above all, he talks to the children to encourage them to persevere so that they will someday reach their dreams just as he has achieved his.

Indeed, our services to the least of our brothers and sisters, no matter how insignificant it might seem at the moment, will never be unrewarded. I am sure you also have your own stories of children whose dreams you have helped attain.

Pro-Life Healing Mass Press Release

Aside from a broken heart, there is also a need to heal a broken spirit, a broken soul even an ailing body this Valentine’s season. Let PRO-LIFE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION help you do the mending.

With the cooperation of the Blessed Margaret of Castello Movement spearheaded by Bro. Gonzalo Goquiolay, the Foundation invites you to attend a Pro-life Mass for Healing with Rev. Fr. Efren Borromeo of Trinitas Healing Ministry on February 18, Thursday, 5:00 PM at the Sto. Domingo Church.

This event is dedicated to holistically nurturing our spiritual health in cognizant of the arduous and challenging situations we face on a daily basis. Also, the event will act as a venue to promote the pro-life stance among more people. The schedule of the event is as follows:

5:00 – 5:30 pm
Pro-Life Talk
Marita F. Wasan
Executive Director, Pro-Life Philippines Foundation

5:30 – 6:00 pm
Novena Prayer to Blessed Margaret of Castello

6:00 – 7:00 pm
Mass for Healing
REV. FR. GEORGE MORENO, OP
Parish Priest
Main Celebrant

REV. FR. EFREN BORROMEO, SOLT
Trinitas Healing Ministry

7:00 pm – onwards
Healing Services
REV. FR. EFREN BORROMEO
Trinitas Healing Ministry

PRO-LIFE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION, INC. is a non-profit, non-stock non-government organization dedicated to promoting respect and care for human life from conception to natural death. Aside from Education and Training, its programs and services include Counseling, Advocacy, and Public Awareness.

For inquiries, kindly contact Ellen Sanchez or Malou Agsaluna at the Pro-Life Philippines Foundation Secretariat located at the San Lorenzo Ruiz Student Catholic Center, 2486 Legarda Street, Sampaloc, Manila with numbers 734-9425 or 733-7027.

PRESS RELEASE FOR PRO-LIFE MONTH 2010

‘Love life’ this ‘love month’

Still in search of a “lovelife?” Your chase concludes this February.

PRO-LIFE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION quenches your quest for love as the Foundation primes up to highlight ways on how to “love life” this Valentine season.

In staying committed to its advocacies, the Foundation is again set to celebrate another edition of the PRO-LIFE MONTH this February 2010. Themed “Buhay Mo, Mahal Ko,” this year’s celebration promises to put more emphasis on loving life and loving the right to life, which are both founding principles of the Foundation.

An opening salvo for the month-long celebration will be hosted by the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Our Lady of Guadalupe in Makati City on February 7, Sunday, 12:00 noon. Following the celebration of the Holy Mass with parish priest Fr. Edwin Mercado, there will be a short program that will formally usher in the pro-life mood for the whole month. Included in the program will be the presentation of a teaser of the upcoming Pro-Life ad campaign against abortion.

The said gathering will be attended by vanguard pro-lifers such as former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and Pro-Life Philippines Founder Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS among others.

With the cooperation of the Blessed Margaret of Castello Movement spearheaded by Bro. Gonzalo Goquiolay, a Pro-life Mass for Healing with Rev. Fr. Efren Borromeo of Trinitas Healing Ministry is scheduled on February 18, Thursday, 5:00 PM at the Sto. Domingo Church. This event is dedicated to holistically nurturing our spiritual health in cognizant of the arduous and challenging situations people face on a daily basis. Also, the event will act as a venue to promote the pro-life stance among more people most especially the young.

Handsome prizes are up for grabs in the Pro-Life Photography Competition and Pro-Life List Competition. Still part of the celebration, ongoing this February are these two contests that seek to promote the pro-life cause and simultaneously harness the potential of creative people especially those coming from the youth sector in ingeniously displaying the pro-life movement’s key thrusts.

The winning entries in the contests will be displayed in the culminating ceremonies of the month at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo City on February 28, Sunday, 5:00 PM. Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes will be officiating the celebration of the Mass.

Further, the Foundation expects parish-based Family & Life Apostolate groups together with their parish organizations to hold Pro-life activities to celebrate the gift of life and promote a culture that celebrates family values.

For inquiries regarding the activities and the contests, kindly contact Ellen Sanchez or Malou Agsaluna at the Pro-Life Philippines Foundation Secretariat located at the San Lorenzo Ruiz Student Catholic Center, 2486 Legarda Street, Sampaloc, Manila with numbers 734-9425 or 733-7027.

Buhay Mo, Mahal Ko

THIS February will be the 12th year that the pro-life groups in the Philippines will be celebrating Pro-life Month. It all started when former President Cory Aquino issued the Presidential Proclamation 214 declaring every second week of February as “Respect and Care for Life Week”. This was upon the request of Pro-life Philippines Foundation to hold an annual celebration during February so that it will not only be popularly known as a “Love Month” due to Valentines Day but also a “Life Month”. The time was always celebrated with rallies, conferences, contests and Eucharistic Liturgies, organized by parishes and schools all over the country.

A few years later, because a week seemed too short, Pro-life Philippines declared that the whole month of February be dedicated as Pro-life Month. Various themes have been chosen to emphasize the challenge to promote pro-life : “ Stand Up for Life!”, “Bawat Sanggol, Ipagtanggol”, “A consistent Ethic for Life”, “Respect Life”, “Proudly Pro-life” among others.

This year, the theme chosen is “Buhay Mo, Mahal Ko”. Communications have been sent to the Family and Life Coordinators of the Dioceses and parishes, as well as to school heads and organizations. The Department of social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has also been reminded to involve in the celebration as this is the government entity that was mentioned in the Presidential Proclamation that should supervise the implementation of Pro-life Month nationwide.

Drumming up attention to pro-life values is very crucial at this time when pro-population control/pro-contraception groups are aggressively pressuring congress to pass the Reproductive Health Bill, a title they have given to demand a budget of two billion pesos for massive distribution of contraceptiveabortifacients to the poor. The bill, if passed, will institutionalize a contraceptive-based sex education to be given in both public and private schools from Grade 5 (10-year old children) all the way to high school.

Dissenters to the promotion of population control, whether through sex education or services in health facilities, factories and business enterprises, homes and churches, will be punished. Proponents of the bill insist that it does not promote abortion. However, a careful reading of the bill reveals that the types of contraceptives being promoted are abortifacient in nature and the constant repetition of the contraception-population control propaganda creates an anti-natal mentality, bordering on a pro-abortion mentality. In fact, some of the feminist groups backing up the passage of the bill admit that they would like abortion to be legalized and made available, especially to the poor women.

This is a call then for you, dear reader, to help us in the pro-life movement, and let me also say, a call for you to help YOUR Church, to spread the Gospel of Life in whatever way you can as soon as possible. Remember, every minute delayed results to hundreds of babies being lost in abortion and contraception, thousands of youth misled by the “safe sex” messages, and couples’ marriages polluted by the contraceptive mentality.

Herein is a copy of Presidential Proclamation 214 that you can use to help us in promoting February as “Respect and Care for Life” Month signed by Pres. Corazon C. Aquino last Feb. 3, 1988.

WHEREAS, the United Nations Declaration on Rights of the Child provides that “the child by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth;”

WHEREAS, Section 12, Article II of the Constitution provides that it is the policy of the State to “protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception;”

WHEREAS, available statistics detail the frightening losses of innocent human lives by abortion; and

WHEREAS, in pursuance of the above constitutional mandate and in support of the UN universal declaration and in order to instill the same, as well as the value and sacredness of human life, in the minds and hearts of the Filipino people and thereby help reverse the above statistical trend, it becomes imperative to set aside a period of time for them to ponder and focus attention on their moral and constitutional obligations to protect human life or one’s inherent right to life;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON C. AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested on me by law, do hereby declare the second week of February 1988 and every year thereafter as “RESPECT AND CARE FOR LIFE WEEK” under the auspices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Pro-Life Philippines, and other involved entities or organization.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

Pro-Life seminar deals with teen sexuality

QUEZON CITY, Jan. 23, 2010—MORE than a hundred participants attended Pro-Life Philippines Foundation’s Pro-Life Seminar titled “Understanding Sexually Active Teenagers” last Saturday at the Bahay-Ugnayan Conference Hall inside the Good Shepherd Convent in Quezon City.

Facilitated by the Foundation’s Vice-President and seasoned resource speaker Mr. Edgardo Sorreta, the seminar catered to a cluster of teachers, counselors, school personnel, parents, even students who were all eager to learn about the apparent attitudes and behaviors of teenagers towards sex and their own sexuality.

“Educating teens on sex and sexuality should be highly prioritized. This is one of the key factors in guiding them towards upright sexual maturity,” Sorreta said.

Sorreta, a local coordinator of Family and Life and a member of Couples for Christ, mentioned of how the values of the younger generation have been compromised due to the proliferation of misguided materials about sex in print, broadcast, and the Internet.

“The youth and their families as well are very much exposed to the harmful contents of what the media has been promoting especially on the topic of sex. No wonder there are people who resort to abortion and other perverted practices contrary to the teachings of the Church” Sorreta said.

Moreover during his talk, Sorreta also noted of the need to guide both teenagers and their parents when it comes to talking about sex.

“Values are not taught. They are caught. That is why it’s equally important for parents to become good role models to their children especially when it comes to handling sensitive issues such as sex,” Sorreta told the audience.

To be more credible, Sorreta also shared some personal anecdotes telling some of his experiences raising his own daughter. Further, Sorreta provided more information on ways on how to cope with puberty.

“Before you decide to do something sexual, think about it a hundred times over and then weigh the consequences. You’ll realize these (pre-marital sex, etc.) are things you could do without while you grow up.,” said Sorreta. “Remember, passion is not affection. There are a hundred ways of showing your love to a significant other better than sex outside of marriage.”

An open forum came after the talk where the audience actively participated in sharing to others their personal experiences in growing up as a teen and raising a teenager.

This is the first of the series of Pro-Life Seminars the Foundation will be conducting this year. Following this talk will be a seminar on pornography, which will be held by March. Each seminar is aimed at educating the general public on the various aspects and issues that the pro-life advocacy encompasses. (Andrew Isiah P. Bonifacio)

Pro-life group chides Planned Parenthood for donating birth control kits to Haiti victims

VIRGINIA, USA, Jan 21, 2010—IN LINE with the tragic earthquake in Haiti, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) launched a campaign to provide what they call “emergency and basic health services” to victims in the country. But according to Life Decisions International President Douglas Scott, “Planned Parenthood looks at emergency birth control the same way most people view food, water and shelter.”

“What the people of Haiti need is food, water, clothing, and shelter. They do not need anything that Planned Parenthood has to offer,” Scott said.
As stated in their website, IPPF is doling out, in addition to “essential basic and primary healthcare, specialist maternity and sexual and reproductive health services as well.” IPPF argued that an increased vulnerability of women to HIV infection and sexual exploitation often follows natural disasters and that “many women lose access to family planning services, exposing them to unwanted pregnancy, and, in cases of rape, access to emergency contraception and counseling.”

But Scott countered, “Planned Parenthood’s deadly network wants to provide ’sexual and reproductive health to people affected by the disaster. While there are many organizations offering essential healthcare to the people of Haiti, Planned Parenthood wants to be sure that this includes birth control and abortion.”

According to Scott, after the fall of the Romanian dictator in 1989, Planned Parenthood donated $22,000 to the country to buy abortion equipment and coordinated an airlift of 40,000 condoms. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the organization offered a free week of “reproductive health care” which Scott claims U.S. taxpayers helped underwrite. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Planned Parenthood allegedly raised money to provide “essential medication” and “bare necessities” which consisted of a few months supply of birth control pills and emergency birth control kits, says Scott.

Credits:
Cited from an original article from catholicnewsagency.com last 01/21/10

Super Bowl’s Tim Tebow and mother to appear in pro-life ad

COLORADO, USA, Jan 18, 2010—A 30-SECONDER pro-life ad featuring college football star Tim Tebow and his mother will be aired during the Super Bowl broadcast on CBS.

Sponsored by Focus on the Family, the ad intends to encourage respect for life and Tebow’s life story carried him on to become the commercial’s star.

Tebow’s parents served as Christian missionaries in the Philippines where he was born. His mother, Pam, had contracted a life-threatening infection while pregnant with him, but refused medical advice and carried Tim to full term.

The Super Bowl ad will tell their story, Focus on the Family says. Its theme will be “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life.”

In the past, Tebow has said he believes his mother’s story has helped women decide not to abort their children.

The Tebows said they agreed to appear in the commercial because they feel very strongly about the life issue.

Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family, said the partnership with the Tebows comes at a moment in the culture when families “need to be inspired.”

“Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive,” Daly commented. “They live what we see every day – that the desire for family closeness is written on the hearts of every generation. Focus on the Family is about nurturing that desire and strengthening families by empowering them with the tools they need to live lives rooted in morals and values.”

He reported that the funding for the ad comes from a handful of “very generous” donors who specifically contributed funds for the project. No money from Focus on the Family’s general fund was used, the organization adds.

“Now that the ad has been shot, we’re excited to tell people it’s coming, because the Tebows’ story is such an important one for our culture to hear,” Daly said. “You won’t want to miss it.”

Credits:
Cited from an original article from catholicnewsagency.com last 01/18/10

Study verifies abortion as causative factor for breast cancer

MARYLAND, USA, Jan 7, 2010—WOMEN who have had abortions or who use oral contraceptives harbor more risk of getting breast cancer, a conclusion statistically proven by a study.

An April 2009 study co-authored by a researcher who has previously denied an abortion-breast cancer link including Jessica Dolle of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research contained a table reporting a statistically significant 40 percent risk increase for women who have had abortions. According to the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer (CABC), the study listed abortion as among “known and suspected risk factors.”

The study, titled “Risk factors for triple-negative breast cancer in women under the age of 45 years,” was published in the American Association for Cancer Research’s (AACR) medical journal “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.”

Researchers also found a significant link between the use of oral contraceptives and a particularly aggressive cancer known as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

TNBC is associated with high mortality. Brind suggested that oral contraceptives may function not merely as a secondary carcinogen. Rather, the synthetic estrogen-progestin combination or its metabolic byproducts may be a primary cause of the cell mutations that lead to cancer formation.

CBCP president Karen Malec criticized that the NCI, the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and other cancer organizations for not issuing nationwide warnings to women on the basis of the study.

Credits:
Cited from an original article from catholicnewsagency.com last 01/07/10

Rallies for pro-life cause in Spain slated on March 7

MADRID, SPAIN, Jan 22, 2010—SPANISH-based prolifers gear up for this year’s rallies for life taking place across the country on March 7 with the theme “Spain Says Yes To Life.”

Organizers chose the date to voice opposition to the government’s new legislation on abortion, which is expected to pass later in March. During a press conference, spokesman for the event Gador Joya called on President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to convene a referendum so that the country’s citizens can express their opinions regarding the new law.
If the president feels most Spaniards support the law, “he should have no problem convening a referendum and consulting the people,” Joya said. He noted that on January 28, one million signatures calling for the referendum will be sent to the government.

Joya added that organizers hope to establish a tradition of celebrating pro-life rallies each year during March to coincide with the World Day of Life, which is celebrated on March 25.

The spokesman argued that the majority of Spaniards support the right to life and want their voices to be heard.

Credits:
Cited from an original article from catholicnewsagency.com last 01/22/10

Prelate cites anti-life arguments as ‘misleading,’ ‘erroneous,’

DAVAO CITY, Jan. 9, 2010—LIKE MOST religious people, Mati Bishop Patricio Alo hit on anti-life advocates and their arguments to be “baseless, misleading and erroneous.”

Further, Bishop Alo warned that those who support the anti-life agenda unknowingly are engaged into corruption because the program in itself is a kind of corruption.

“They are just making man slave to the passing glory and sensual pleasures of the world. They simply disregard the basic fact that life is sacred,” he said.

The prelate moved on saying that the arguments that matter are those based on truth, not just on transitory or volatile reasons.

“They (anti-lifers or Reproductive Health Bill supporters) give reasons such as poverty, overpopulation, hunger and many others which are erroneous,” said Bishop Alo.

Bishop Alo said those arguments have no sufficient basis for terminating life or potential life by means of abortion or contraception.

“You do not solve the problem of life by terminating life. Things were made for man and not vice versa,” he said, adding:

Credits:
Cited from an original article by Mark S. Ventura for cbcpnews.com last 01/09/10