ORANI, Bataan -- Members of churches under the Born Again coalition on Friday joined a motorcade in Bataan, voicing strong opposition to the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Bill.
They joined the motorcade of Emy Lubag, the opponent of reelectionist Rep. Geraldine Roman in Bataan’s first district.
Roman is one of the principal authors in Congress of the SOGIE Bill.
Provincial Pastor William Balor of the Jesus Is Lord Church said they have no choice but to support Lubag this time after giving their support to Roman in the last election.
“Tumatanggi kami sa SOGIE Bill na ang aming ipinaglalaban ay ang moral issue at aming responsibilidad bilang mga pastor, ang salita ng Diyos na nang nilikha Niya ang tao, babae at lalaki lamang (We are against the SOGIE Bill. What we are fighting for is the moral issue and our responbility as pastors. The word of God that He created people as woman and man only),” he said.
“Nakita namin na kami ay nagkakasala sa Diyos ng treason which is pagtataksil at saka betrayal. Bini-betray namin ang Diyos sapagka’t ang kanyang salita na nilikha ang tao na babae at lalaki lamang (we saw that we are committing sin against God which is treason and betrayal. We are betraying God because His word says that He created only woman and man),” Balor said.
“Hindi kami against sa LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community, ino-honor namin ang human rights. Nandito kami hindi sa kanila kundi yong SOGIE Bill na ito na apektado ang ating mga anak (We are not against the LGBT community. We honor human rights. We are here not because of them but because of SOGIE bill which affect our children),” he said.
Same sex marriage will confuse the children, the pastor pointed out.
“Hindi ito ang gusto ng Diyos. Ang gusto ng Diyos maayos na pamilya at yon ang aming ipinaglalaban, ang kinabukasan ng ating pamilya (This is not the will of God. What God wants is a good family and that is what we are fighting for—the future of our family),” said Balor, who is president of the Bataan Association of Christian Churches.
Bishop Lito Pagulayan of the Bataan Full Gospel Church said there are 340 churches in Bataan under the Born Again coalition.
“Kami na nagtuturo ng moral ay mapaparusahan kung magiging batas yon (We who are teaching moral will be punished once it becomes a law), he said.”
Pagulayan said they are concerned about three things with regard the SOGIE Bill – first, same sex marriage is the cause of 57 percent of recorded HIV/AIDS; second, punishment such as what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament; and third, God does not approve of homosexuality.
Catherine Agustin of the Orani Church Ministerial Association said one of the authors of the bill was their townmate in Orani town.
“Hindi kami galit sa kanya bilang tao kundi ang tinututulan namin ang batas na isinusulong niya (We are not angry with her as a person but we are opposing the bill which she is pushing),” she said.
Roman, a transgender woman, could not be reached for comment. (PNA)
