Florin T. Hilbay, who prides himself as an associate professor in the College of Law of the University of the Philippines, and the director of the Institute of Government and Law Reform of UP Law Center, cunningly rebuked the application for Comelec accreditation of Ang Prolife Party List in his commentary, “Religious participation in the party list” (Inquirer, 6/7/12).
Albeit he wittingly cited very relevant principles and provisions of law, his synthesis of these with that of Ang Prolife was full of falsehoods bordering on absurdity.
He figured Ang Prolife is a religious organization, organized for religious purposes, plainly because of its “opposition to the reproductive health and divorce bills, same-sex relationships and unions, and the Lady Gaga concert.” What logic, indeed!
To my knowledge, Ang Prolife is composed of civic-minded individuals who are motivated by their faith and patriotism alike to become responsible and law-abiding citizens of the Philippines. If lawlessness is driven by immoral motivations such as greed and disregard for public order, then surely it is not the intention of the principle of separation of Church and State to prohibit citizens from acting according to their moral motivations, especially if those motivations lead to the establishment of a “just and humane society” under a “regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace.” So important are these moral motivations that we even implore the “aid of Almighty God,” as stressed in the Preamble of the same Philippine Constitution which Professor Hilbay teaches.
I never really got to find out what religious denomination, if any, Professor Hilbay belongs to, but as I searched I came across his piece in the IBP Journal, April 2011, Vol. 36 No. 1, titled “Reproductive Health and Democracy, Some Thoughts on the Struggle for a Secular Republic.”
In it he concludes: “The Philippines begins the 21st century with a remarkable opportunity to continue the unfinished revolution of the Ilustrados by passing the RH bill. Beyond promoting the rights of women, children and partners, the passage of the bill rekindles the attempts of the early Filipinos to draw a line of separation between faith and reason, public and private, individual conscience and public ethics. This by itself is revolutionary, given the stronghold of illiberalism and dogmatism in Philippine politics and culture. Whether the fires of reason, once rekindled, will finally burn the dead wood of superstition is a matter best left to speculation.”
Now I see why the twisted logic on Ang Prolife.
—NORMAN V. CABRERA,
secretary general, Ang Kapatiran Party,
nv_cabrera2003@yahoo.com