Self's feature article on Carlos Celdran appeared in today's Fil-Am Courier, a semi-monthly community paper for Hawaii's Filipino community. If you haven't heard of Carlos Celdran, he's the Manila activist-tour guide dude that donned a Jose Rizal costume, made his way to the altar at Manila Catheral where bishops were conducting an ecumenical service, held up a placard that read "Damaso" and then began shouting, "Stop getting involved in politics." He did this to protest the Catholic Church's heavy-handed influence on politics, particularly with its active participation in preventing the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill. The bill, which has been languishing for 14 years in the Philippine Congress, calls for the distribution of condoms to families who can't afford it and for conducting sex education classes in the public schools. For his daring stunt, Carlos was arrested, jailed, and charged with "offending religious feelings." He is is awaiting trial and could face up to five years in jail if found guilty. Self got to meet him and his wife Tessa by chance at a dinner thingee last weekend courtesy of Z. Self found his enthusiasm, creativity and passion so interesting, so much so that Self decided to pitch the story to the Fil-Am Courier, who decided to feature him in today's Oct. 16 issue. So head on down to your to your neighborhood Filipino restaurant or business to pick up your free copy. It's usually available at other places in Kalihi and Waipahu, and where ever Filipinos congregate. You can be sure to find it where ever you find the other two leading Filipino community newspapers. You can even get it at the State Capitol, right outside the snack shop in the basement for you downtown-ies.
Here's the article.
Carlos Celdran Takes on the Catholic Church by Amalia B. Bueno
Sometimes a single act of protest by one person generates widespread impact, much like the way an offshore earthquake can produce a tsunami. Perphaps that is what happened during the public spectacle that propelled 37-year old tour guide Carlos Celdran into the center of a political storm surrounding the controversial Reproductive Health Bill, or House Bill 96 that has been making its way through the Philippine House of Representatives.
On a rainy Thursday afternoon, Carlos Celdran dressed in Victorian garb as Jose Rizal and walked into the Manila Cathedral. In the cathedral were some members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and other religious leaders who had come together to discuss strategies on how to get legislators to oppose House Bill 96, and to conduct an ecumenical service. During a break in the service, when heads were bowed for a moment of silence, Celdran made his way to the altar and silently raised a white placard with the word “Damaso” on it. Damaso was a reference to the hated, villainous, cruel Spanish friar in Rizal’s novel, Noli Me Tangere. Celdran walked the width of the altar as “an act of civil disobedience,” saying nothing, just holding up the sign for all to see. Then he began shouting to the surprised attendees, “Stop getting involved in politics!”
For staging this daring stunt, Celdran was thrust in the glare of the national media. He was also transformed into a folk hero of sorts in a country where the heavy-handed influence of the Catholic Church on politics is legendary.
Celdran, who was in Honolulu last week with his extended family to celebrate his father’s 81st birthday, recalls that he “just kept yelling that phrase, oh, maybe three, four times” until the security guard took him outside. “And then the police came and told me that (Manila) Mayor Lim, who was attending the service, ordered my arrest. I learned later that Cardinal Rosales wanted me jailed.” Celdran says he was treated nicely by the police officers, who seemed supportive of his message.
He was charged with violating an antiquated anti-blasphemy law, Article 133 of the Philippine Revised Penal Code, which prohibits “offending religious feelings.” Celdran says it took awhile for him to be charged, because authorities couldn’t decide what to charge him with. By then it was late evening, so spent the night in jail and was released the next day, October 1, 2010. But not before he created an uproar in cyberspace. A Facebook fan page, Free Carlos Celdran, generated 24,000 fans in 24 hours.
“If anything, what has come out of this experience is that there is discussion out there about contraception, sex education, abortion, gays, sex trafficking, population control, poverty, economics, power, etc.,” Celdran notes. But here’s also been some uncivil and irrational talk about values, morality and the church, he adds, which he tries to moderate on his fan page.
Celdran doesn’t regret doing what he did, but would probably not do it again. “I would do something new. I am sorry about the method I used, but I am absolutely not sorry about the message. People should be given a choice when it comes to reproductive rights.”
That message is echoed by President Benigno Aquino III, who has publicly stated that he supports “responsible parenthood and informed choice in family planning.” Aquino has also said that government is “obligated to inform everybody of their responsibility and their choices. At the end of the day, government might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method.” These statements have spurred Nereo Odchimar, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, to threaten President Aquino with ex-communication.
It is this kind of Church influence that makes Celdran more determined to continue the fight for reproductive rights. “I’m not against the church. I’m not against Catholicism. I’m Catholic, but I’m very, very disappointed with the Catholic church when it comes to reproductive rights. I don’t want to tear down the church. But when they interfere and try to stop the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill, I’m willing to take the challenge.”
Celdran returns to the Philippines after a week’s vacation in Hawaii, and waits to see what will happen. He is expecting there will be a trial and he faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. “This has become bigger than anything I could imagine. I am hoping my act of civil disobedience will fade one of these days soon. All this attention on me is taking away attention from the Reproductive Health Bill. It’s legislation that’s been languishing for 14 years. So the fight continues.”
The trajectory of Carlos Celdran’s life can best be summed up by the description of Celdran Tours on his website. His famed tours take a comprehensive, irreverent approach to the social and political history of the Philippines. Appropriately, his blog simply states, “Walk This Way. A simple man who is trying to change the way you look at Manila. One step at a time.”