The Filipino Freethinkers podcast has decided to, uh, relax its tone AND its hosts attempt to speak the real national language — Taglish!
Here, Red, Pepe and Margie talk about the bill by Mr. Mong Palatino recently filed and withdrawn which calls to ban religious rites from government offices.
Despite my seemingly happy demeanor, too many things offend me. This is what comes from being an atheist feminist skeptic liberal living in the lovely Philippine Islands. How do I cope, you ask? By taking things in perspective, that’s how. And being charitable when judging people, appreciating them for who they are, and understanding their side of things.
It is in this vein that I wrote this post in the Filipino Freethinkers website. You’re welcome.
What are you guys up to on April 1? We’re having the annual Filipino Freethinkers Forum in the afternoon, at the UP-Ayalaland Technohub (registration is free and starts at 1.30pm). We’ll be talking about the reproductive health bill, freedom of expression, LGBT rights, science, and freedom of religion. SPIT (Silly People’s Improv Theater) will be performing. We will be announcing the winners of the Reason Award, the Science Award and the Secularism Award. And giving away a special Bigot Award (a cash prize of PhP 10,000 will be given to the organization or cause the awardee has p*ssed off the most — everybody wins!).
Philippine national hero Jose Rizal wrote to the women of Malolos once, expressing his admiration for their courage in standing up to authorities for their right to education. I’ve never read that letter — I suppose the nuns and priests running the Catholic schools I studied at would not have thought it A Good Thing for us to be something other than Maria Clara types — till I saw Red’s article today at the Filipino Freethinkers site which had the full text of Rizal’s letter.
An excerpt:
No longer does the Filipina stand with her head bowed nor does she spend her time on her knees, because she is quickened by hope in the future; no longer will the mother contribute to keeping her daughter in darkness and bring her up in contempt and moral annihilation…
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines hosted a dinner forum with LGBT advocacy groups on The Struggle for LGBT Equality in the U.S. on Friday, May 27, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. in the Botero Dali Room, Sulo Riviera Hotel, Quezon City. The speaker for the event was Ms. Christine Sun, former senior counsel, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation.
