PHILIPPINE Daily Inquirer’s (PDI) Chief Cartoonist Jesus “Jess” Abrera, Jr. will be facilitating the second edition of Pro-Life Philippines’ Pro-Life Seminar Series next month.

Titled “Pornography and Media,” this edition aims to inform students, their teachers and parents about the growing horrors brought about by pornography and how it has become a thriving industry for a short span of time. Abrera will be sharing his knowledge and views regarding the topic.

Abrera’s komiks strips “Pinoy Nga!” and “A. Lipin” were awarded National Book Awards for Cartoons in the years 1997 and 2000 respectively. He is also responsible for the PDI mascot Guyito the Carabao. Aside from these laurels, Abrera has also been a part of Subtle Attacks Against the Family Explained series of lectures last year.

The forum is scheduled on March 20, 2010, Saturday, from 8:30 am to 12:00 noon at the conference hall of Bahay Ugnayan, Good Shepherd Convent, 1043 Aurora Blvd., Quezon City. Registration fee of P 200.00 includes the participant’s kit, merienda, and certificate.

For reservations or more information, please contact us at 733-7027 or 734-9425 or 0919-2337783; or email us at life@prolife.org.ph.

Promoting a culture of life, love and peace, PRO-LIFE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION, INC. invites everyone to attend the annual commemoration of the “Day of the Unborn” on March 25.

In its firm resolve to help eradicate abortion from the face of the earth, Pro-Life designed this activity in grief for the souls of the aborted babies who never saw the splendor of God’s creation, who never felt the warmth of their mother’s embrace and whose voice were never even heard. The event would hopefully serve as an awakening to those who view abortion as a way out of pregnancy instead of a blessing of a new life. The increasing rate of abortion today has become a path towards moral decadence and devastating psycho-spiritual effects on the lives of the aborted women, the men involved, and the abortion providers.

With these thoughts, we are enjoining you to proclaim your pro-life stand. Let us all offer prayers in memory of the innocent aborted babies who neither had the voice or the choice to be born. Participate in Light a Candle for Life Ceremony on March 24 (eve of the Day of the Unborn) in front of the Monument for the Unborn in Plaza Miranda. The activity will start after the 6:00 pm Holy Mass at the Basilica of the Black Nazarene, Quiapo Church.

Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, Chair of the Episcopal commission on Family and Life, has issued a letter to dioceses all over the country to encourage their parishes to celebrate the Day of the Unborn on March 25 .

For more information, contact the Pro-life office at 733-7027, telefax 734-9425; 0919-2337783; or life@prolife.org.ph, www.prolife.org.ph

February 14 is Valentine’s Day, and for Prolife Phils Foundation, Inc., Feb 14, 2010, was truly an ourpouring of love and generosity when the Mary Mother of Good Counsel  Parish Youth Commission, (in Marcelo Green Village) belonging to the Diocese of Paranaque, handed over proceeds of their Youth Praise Concert held last Dec. 5, 2009.  Prolife was part beneficiary of the said concert as the youth projects also benefitted from the event.  The simple turnover ceremony was held during the 10:30 AM Eucharistic Celebration, with Fr. Alfred Ramos, Parish Priest as main Priest-Presider.  Also present at the ceremonies were Marty Dagdag and the youth commission leaders.  Ms. Marita F. Wasan, Exec. Director of Prolife Phils., received the  Fifty-Thousand Pesos proceeds in cash.

It is indeed worthy of our reflection,  that these youth who so dedicated their time, their talent, their whole lives to this significant event have actually given much of themselves to the youth of their generation who are, at this very moment, in danger of losing their lives in areas of conflict, in violent homes, in the hands of an abductor, in the very womb of a mother thinking of abortion.  It is the mission of Prolife to promote a culture of Life, as opposed to a culture of death and violence.  Thus, Prolife’s way of thanking these young people of MMGC Parish, is a firm resolve to continue its mission of spreading the Good News of life through its programs:  Education and Training, Lobbying and Advocacy, and Crisis Intervention Services, with a focus on the future youth – the bearers of Life! (Weena S. Meily)

BROKEN hearts weren’t the only body parts attended to during Pro-Life Philippines Foundation’s post-Valentine event.

In partnership with the Blessed Margaret of Castello Movement (BMCM) spearheaded by Bro. Gonzalo “Sonny” Goquiolay, the Foundation held its annual Pro-Life Healing Mass last February 18 at the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish (Sto. Doming Church) in Quezon City.

More than 100 participants afflicted with diseases and weaknesses of the mind, body and soul gathered inside the church to recite prayers and hear the Holy Mass concelebrated by parish priest Rev. Fr. George Moreno, OP and Fr. Efren Borromeo, SOLT of the Trinitas Healing Ministry.

Fr. Moreno from the Dominican Order of Preachers was once designated as chaplain priest in the University of Santo Tomas Hospital while Fr. Borromeo from the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity has led a group of healers via Trinitas Healing Ministry.

After the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, Fr. Borromeo conducted the healing sessions for the participants had sicknesses ranging from recurrent back pains to terminal blood cancers.

Also, Pro-Life Program Officer Weena Meily gave a short talk on the alarming anti-life trends proliferating in today’s society as well as the vital steps pro-lifers need to take in order to heal and cure the contagious culture of death. To further emphasize her points of view, a 10-minute video presentation titled “Simula ng Buhay” was shown to the attendees of the pro-life affair.

The Pro-Life Healing Mass was part of the Foundation’s activities in celebrating the Pro-Life month this February with a theme “Buhay Mo, Mahal Ko.” (Katherine P. Trimocha)

As patroness of the unborn, the image of the Our Lady of Guadalupe has traveled and replicated in many nations in an explicit effort to end abortion. For pro-lifers, she brings a message of hope as well as a message of concrete charity with which she challenges the Church.

Seeking faith in this premise, Pro-Life Philippines Foundation found it fitting to have the Archdiocesan Parish of the Our Lady of Guadalupe in Makati City as its venue to usher in the celebration of the Pro-Life Month this year.

At high noon, a Holy Mass was celebrated last February 7, the first Pro-Life Sunday of the year with the hosts of the opening, parish priests Rev. Fr. Edwin Mercado and Rev. Fr. Salvador Jose, officiating.

“We dedicate this month to advocating and promoting being pro-life which is very much important in our society today,” Fr. Mercado said. “That is why we opted to let Pro-Life hold their opening salvo here in the parish of the Our Lady of Guadalupe, the pro-life patroness.”

Read during the Holy Mass was Word and Life’s Sunday Euchalette’s prayer intentions dedicated to the pro-life advocacy.

After the Holy Communion, Pro-Life Executive Director Marita Wasan delivered her talk.

“We are reminded today of the gift of life that God has given us, as well as our responsibility to respect, take care and defend our own life and the life of all people. We give special attention to the unborn baby that   we forget is life itself, and that is why there is so much abortion today.”

Wasan also mentioned of the violence that our society is facing today. In addition, she invited everyone to support the Family and Life Programs of the parish and learn more on how to improve the love within family members.
“There is a need to promote a culture of life and to convince everyone to topple the evils in our society.”

Present during the Mass were Pro-Life Vice President Edgardo Sorreta and wife, Let, Pro-Life’s Board of Trustees Eric Manalang, Manny Amador and Baby Nebrida-Ballesty, Pro-Life’s Board of Advisers Dra. Myrna Zapanta, Minda Fuentes, and Dr. Primitivo Chua, and Ang Kapatiran’s Vice-Presidentiable Jun Chipeco. (Roxanne Joy D. Pesigan)

PRO-LIFE PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION, INC. invites the member of your parish/school to attend a seminar/forum themed “Pornography and Media.”

As part of the series of Pro-Life forums for the year 2010, this edition aims to inform students, their teachers and parents about the growing horrors brought about by pornography and how it has become a thriving industry for a short span of time. This forum further updates them on the evils rooted from the proliferation of pornography around the world.

Philippine Daily Inquirer’s editorial cartoonist and a strong advocate against violence in media, Mr. Jess Abrera will be sharing his knowledge and views regarding the topic as the forum’s facilitator. An open discussion will ensue for all the participants to give their opinions and ask queries vis-à-vis pornography.

The forum is scheduled on March 20, 2010, Saturday, from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon at the conference hall of Bahay Ugnayan, Good Shepherd Convent, 1043 Aurora Blvd., Quezon City. Registration fee of Php200.00 includes the participant’s kit, merienda, and certificate. Registration starts at 8:00 AM.

For reservations or more information, please call Ellen at 733-7027. You may also send us a telefax at 734-9425; a text through mobile # 0919-2337783; or an email at life@prolife.org.ph.

download: reservation form

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.

‘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.

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 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.

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)

Once again, Pro-Life Philippines Foundation will be commemorating Pro-Life  Month by February 2010.

This has been done annually by the Foundation since its inception and this event provides a bright venue for us to fully proclaim and promote our advocacy of respecting and preserving the dignity of human life in all its aspects.

For this year’s celebration, there will be activities that will holistically convey the message of encouragement for more Filipinos to join the “pro-life way of life” most especially during the present times when we are plagued by deceptive issues that seek to destroy the sanctity of life.

In line with this, we have organized two contests that carry the same pro-life objective as well as harnessing the talents and potentials of students and the youth in general. Attached herewith are the mechanics for the PRO-LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION and “HOW PRO-LIFE ARE YOU? CAN YOU LIST THE WAYS?” PRO-LIFE LIST COMPETITION.

If you have further queries, our secretariat will be very much delighted to be of aid. Kindly inquire and contact us at 734-9425/ 733-7027 or visit our website www.prolife.org.ph.

Click here to download mechanics of the contest: Photography Competition and Pro-Life List Competition