Senator @piacayetano filed Senate Bill no. 3402 to repeal law that punishes offending religious feelings
Senator Pia Cayetano signed and filed Senate Bill no. 3402 repealing Art. 133 of the Revised Penal Code on Offending Religious Feelings.
Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code is as follows:
Art. 133. Offending the religious feelings. — The penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period shall be imposed upon anyone who, in a place devoted to religious worship or during the celebration of any religious ceremony shall perform acts notoriously offensive to the feelings of the faithful.
Senator Cayetano said Article 133 “could be used to curtail freedom of speech and expression as guaranteed under Article III Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.”
“Freedom of speech and expression is essential to a sovereign state. In fact, the curtailment thereof has been one of the main reasons for revolts in the country throughout Philippine history. A person living in a democracy surely cannot expect that his beliefs will be free from all criticism,” she explained.
Senator Cayetano added that the repeal of the law does “not mean that one’s right to freedom of religion will be disregarded. A person can still be held liable for civil damages under Article 32 of the Civil Code which provides redress in car there is a violation of the different Constitutional rights enumerated therein, including the freedom of religion and of speech.”
It is recalled that Judge Bermejo “found Celdran guilty of “offending religious feelings” for disrupting an ecumenical service at the Manila Cathedral in September 2010 in protest of the Catholic Church’s opposition to the reproductive health law, which Cayetano co-sponsored in the Senate.”
Here is the Senate Bill no. 3402 repealing Art. 133
Senate Bill No.3402 by Team Pia
Source of photo: @piacayetano instagram
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Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado is a Content Strategist with over 16 years experience in blogging, content management, citizen advocacy and media literacy and over 26 years in web development. Otherwise known as @MomBlogger on social media, she believes in making a difference in the lives of her children by advocating social change for social good. She is a co-founder and a member of the editorial board of Blog Watch . She is a resource speaker on media literacy, social media , blogging, digital citizenship, good governance, transparency, parenting, women’s rights and wellness, and cyber safety. Her personal blogs such as aboutmyrecovery.com (parenting) , pinoyfoodblog.com (recipes), techiegadgets.com (gadgets) and benguetarabica.coffee keep her busy outside of Blog Watch. Disclosure: I am an advocate. I am NOT neutral. I will NOT give social media mileage to members of political clans, epal, a previous candidate for the same position and those I believe are a waste of taxpayers' money. I do not support or belong to any political party. I was part of accredited media covering the Office of the Vice President and Leni Robredo as she ran as a presidential aspirant in the 2022 National and local elections. On August 5, 2021, YouTube announced that I was selected as one of 50 Program participants of its Creator Program for Independent Journalists She was a Senior Consultant for ALL media engagements for the PCOO-led Committee on Media Affairs & Strategic Communications (CMASC) under the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council from January 4 -July 5, 2017. Having been an ASEAN advocate since 2011, she has written extensively about the benefits of the ASEAN community and as a region of opportunities on Blog Watch and aboutmyrecovery.com. Organization affiliation includes Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation Updated June 6, 2022