NO TO SOGIE. Pastor Spencer Kent Aguilar of God's Love Ministry shares a testimony as a former transgender during the prayer rally at the Evelio B. Javier Park in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique on Monday (Sept. 30, 2019). Pastors and other religious people in Antique oppose the SOGIE bills as they believe it is harmful to the Philippines being a Christian nation. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- Various religious denominations in Antique on Monday made known their opposition to the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Bills.
Rev. Jeopanes A. Obligar Jr. of the Assembly of God, one of the organizers of the prayer rally held at the Evelio B. Javier Park, said they believed there are provisions in Senate Bill 1271 and House Bill 4982 that are harmful to the freedom of religious expression, sanctity of marriage, way of life as a nation and the youth of the next generation.
“In the House Bill 4982, Section 4, especially the full preaching of God’s word will already be prohibited,” he said.
He said that as pastors of the different religious organizations, they could no longer preach what is in the Bible as God’s creation of Adam as male and Eve as female because it could discriminate, shame or insult the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ.)
The proposed SOGIE law aims to protect members of the LGBTQ from discrimination.
Obligar added that passing the SOGIE bill could gravely affect the way of life of the people in the Philippines, which is known as a Christian nation.
Pastor Spencer Kent Aguilar of God’s Love Ministry, a former transgender, said the SOGIE bill is being pushed by the LGBTQ because they feel that they are being discriminated against.
“I also felt discrimination before because I wanted to use the female restroom,” he said.
He said that when he studied the Bible, however, he learned that God actually only created male and female. Thus, he started to change his ways.
“Before I used to spend much amount of money for me to be able to take female hormone,” he said.
He added that he used to spend around PHP20,000 weekly for the female hormone to have enlarged breast, slender arms and develop other feminine features.
His being a Bible reader, however, made him realized that he does not have to struggle to become a woman for God’s creation is actually perfect.
The more than 1,000 pastors and religious people who joined the rally came from the municipalities of San Jose de Buenavista, Hamtic, Sibalom, San Remigio and Tibiao, and belonging to the God’s Love Ministry, Assembly of God, Jesus is Lord Church and the Evangelical churches. (PNA)
