3 years ago, 26 freethinkers met for the first time in Shangri-la Starbucks to talk about reason, science, and secularism. Since then, we’ve been pretty busy:

• We’ve spread freethought on social media through Twitter (over 3,000 followers), Facebook (over 3,000 group members and almost 10,000 fans), and our website, which has almost a thousand posts, has been viewed more than half a million times, and has won the overall prize at the recent Globe Tatt Awards. (And don’t forget our forum, Tumblr, and YouTube pages, too.)
• We’ve presented the freethinker’s perspective — on secularism, skepticism, and the RH Bill — through our appearances and interviews on AM and FM radio; and both local and foreign TV.
• We’ve hosted more than a hundred events — meetups, forums, a film fest, and an excommunication party — in Metro Manila and Davao; and in our university chapters in UP Diliman, UP Manila, and DLSU.
• We’ve helped educate students on freethought and secularism, giving interviews and answering questions for homework and research papers; delivering talks and participating in panel discussions; and providing a forum for learning and discussion through our university chapters.
• We’ve become advocates and activists, mobilizing creative demonstrations for causes we believe in: fighting for the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill and refuting irrational arguments against it; walking (and running) with our LGBT allies and distracting the bigots who bother them; reminding people to guard their freedom of speech from opponents who cry blasphemy and call for censorship.

And we don’t intend to stop. Just this January, we’ve presented at the World Debate Forum in Ateneo, lectured at UP Diliman and Philippine Science High School, and guested on Bottomline with Boy Abunda. (The episode will air this Saturday (Feb. 4) at 11:45PM on ABSCBN, with a replay on Sunday at 1 PM on ANC.)

To celebrate all this, we’re organizing our third forum, tentatively titled “Filipino Freethinkers Turns Three.” It will be held on March 3, 2012, a Saturday, and will probably be a whole-day event. Be sure to save the date; details will soon follow.

If you want to celebrate in advance, the best way to do so is to attend our meetup this weekend, the first of many we’ll have in our fourth year.

3 years ago

As of this afternoon, the anti-RH contingent has forcibly taken up space at the Occupy for RH campsite across from the South Wing Gate of Congress. They are trying to stay there without a permit.

We need more supporters to come tonight to be part of the Occupy for RH movement. We need reinforcements to help alleviate this situation. Please click here for more details.

Since our inception, the Filipino Freethinkers have been staunch supporters of the Reproductive Health Bill, and we remain dedicated to pushing for its passage. There has never been a more pressing time for you to join this cause than now. Tomorrow, November 21, we along with many other passionate organizations and individuals, will Occupy for RH. We will remain camped outside of Congress for as long as it takes to get our legislators to finally come to a long-delayed vote on this issue. Too much time has been wasted, and too many mothers’ lives have been lost since this fight began, and we are now pulling out all the stops.

Join us. Talking about the issue on social media is great, but it is not enough. If you truly believe that the RH Bill should be put to a vote, then camp out with us at Congress. It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of a vibrant community and help the country change for the better. As freethinkers, it is our responsibility to make our voices heard, to drown out all the falsehoods and bigotry that has surrounded this issue, and to finally let truth and life prevail.

Here’s the official statement of the Occupy for RH Movement:

It has been ten years since the first RH Bill, and after countless debates and delays we are no closer to a vote. The democratic process has stalled at the hands of time-wasting legislators and bullying bishops.

With mounting frustration we remind our public servants that for every day they delay the vote, Filipino families around the country lose their mothers. The time for delay is over. The time for a vote is now.

Starting tomorrow, November 21, RH Advocates from various organizations will occupy the park across the South Wing Gate of Congress, and launch a massive and sustained campaign to remind our Senators and Members of Congress of the urgency to vote on the Reproductive Health Bill before the year ends.

Pro-RH lawmakers, celebrities, artists, government officials, civil society and non-government groups, business, academe, youth, religious and non-religious sectors will show their support at this mass action,
and advocates will camp out in front of the South Wing Gate for as long as it takes for their voices to be heard.

We urge you to join us, tomorrow and onwards, and lend your voice to a movement that will save Filipino lives. Various activities will be held at the camp and at the South Wing Gate, such as a noise barrage, cultural and solidarity nights, pickets, creative and symbolic protests, actions that will make our legislators listen.

For ten years we have been ignored, the cries of the People drowned out by the powerful few. But no more. Together we will stand, together we will shout, and together we will Occupy for RH till our legislators vote for RH now.

For more details, visit the official site for Occupy for RH.

RSVP on Facebook

We’re having our meetup on a Sunday this week in Pasig City at the Starbucks in Anson’s. We’ll be discussing the new taxes that are looming for residents in Quezon City. The city will be using the tax hike to help squatters find new homes. Also, there’s a new archbishop in town and the Philippine Daily Inquirer is complaining that people don’t care. Do you care? A tragic accident left a 2 year old girl dying on the street as 19 passersby ignore her. Saving her could have meant paying for her full recovery. What would you have done?

• Quezon City socialized housing tax hike
• There’s a new Manila archbishop, do you care? Inquirer thinks you should!
• Would you help a dying stranger if it risked paying for their full recovery?

After the meetup we go for dinner and beer drinking at Congo Grill (see map). If you’re not a meetup regular and can’t make it for the meetup but would like to go for the post meetup, please indicate on a post in the wall or comment so we can contact you.

Got questions about the meetup? Contact us at 0927 323 3532

• Newbies are welcome.
• Look for the FF sign (or the group of smart, sexy people).
• There is no required age, religion, philosophy, or IQ level.
• Discussions are informal yet intelligent (most of the time).
• You don’t have to talk; you can just sit in and listen.
• You don’t have to buy anything from Starbucks.

Location: Starbucks, Anson’s (Across The Podium), ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City (Google map)
Date: Saturday, October 8, 2011
Time: 2:30pm – 5:30pm

RSVP on Facebook

We’re back in Pasig at the Starbucks in Anson’s for this Saturday’s meetup. Technology visionary Steve Jobs died this week, while the protests at Wall Street in New York rage on. Teachers’ Day was also just this past week; tell us some stories about your favorite and not-so-favorite teachers and how they changed how you think.

Discussion Topics:
- Occupy Wall Street
- Blasphemy Day Contest
- Teachers’ Day: Stories About Your Teachers
- Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

After the meetup we go for dinner and beer drinking at Congo Grill (see map). If you’re not a meetup regular and can’t make it for the meetup but would like to go for the post meetup, please indicate on a post in the wall or comment so we can contact you.

Got questions about the meetup? Contact us at 0927 323 3532

* Newbies are welcome.
* Look for the FF sign (or the group of smart, sexy people).
* There is no required age, religion, philosophy, or IQ level.
* Discussions are informal yet intelligent (most of the time).
* You don’t have to talk; you can just sit in and listen.
* You don’t have to buy anything from Starbucks.

In celebration of Blasphemy Day 2011, the Filipino Freethinkers invite you to join

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?!?
a Jesus H. Christ cosplay contest

Dress up as Jesus doing something batshit blasphemous, and be in the running for awesome prizes!

Rules:
1) Participants must be fans of the official Filipino Freethinkers FB page

2) Submissions can be either a photograph or a video

3) Persons/animals/objects other than Jesus may be in the entry

4) Entries featuring Jesus in public are very highly recommended

5) PLANKING IS NOT ALLOWED. EVER.

6) If the submitter wishes to remain anonymous, they should ensure that they are unidentifiable in the entry

7) Post your entries on the COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS EVENT PAGE.

Entries must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, OCTOBER 23, 2011, FRIDAY

9) Criteria are as follows: 40% creativity, 30% offensiveness, 20% execution, 10% online votes

10) Online votes (i.e. number of “likes” per entry) will be collected from SEPTEMBER 30 to OCTOBER 28, 2011

11) Three finalists will be announced on October 29, 2011 via the FF FB page

12) Finalists will be invited to come in costume on October 30, 2011 at the FF HALLOWEEN PAR-TAY

13) Finalists’ places (First, Second, Third) will be announced at the PAR-TAY

14) Prizes are as follows:
Third Place – 1 official FF t-shirt
Second Place – 1 official FF t-shirt + 1 Fully Bookd gift certificate worth Php500
First Place – 1 official FF t-shirt + 1 Fully Bookd gift certificate worth Php1000

Again, the crucial dates are as follows:
Deadline for Submissions: October 23
Voting Period: September 30 to October 28
Announcement of Top 3: October 29
Coronation Night: October 31

Visit our event page to post your entry!

DKT Reproductive Health and Filipinay, in partnership with Sex and Sensibilities, are hosting the ART-H Mandala Making Contest this Monday, October 3, from 11:30 AM to 1 PM at the Palma Hall Lobby in UP Diliman. This contest is open to all UP Diliman students.

Participants, in groups of 4 to 10 students, are tasked to make mandalas using pills and condoms in light of the contest’s theme, which is sexual health rights, women’s health, and informed choice. Their output will be displayed for one week in front of the UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council office for judging.

Participants stand the chance to win P15,000 for first place, P12,000 for second place, and P10,000 for third place.

This event is supported by the UP Reproductive Health and Gender Advocates Movement (RH AGENDA).

Ballet Philippines presents INAMORATA, which highlights the versatility and range of the country’s premier professional ballet and contemporary dance company. Celebrating the many Faces of Eve, it shows classical pieces like “The Dying Swan” and all new pieces by the country’s top choreographers like Alden Lugnasin and Denisa Reyes. Guest artists include sopranos Rachelle Gerodias and Camille Lopez Molina, while fashion designers Rajo Laurel, Ito Curata, Jojie Lloren and Lulu Tan Gan design the costumes.

I’m most interested in seeing “Everywoman,” an advocacy piece about the sexual repression of women, dramatized by a woman, a serpent, a pope, and several priests. Here’s what one reader had to say:

It’s choreographer Denisa Reyes’s take on women’s rights- choosing what is best for their bodies and ultimately a better life for themselves. It is also a reaction to all these outrageous banners posted outside churches and other anti-RH Bill institutions pronouncing that supporting the RH Bill is a sin against god. On the other hand, her piece proclaims that being against sex education and reproductive health measures/choices is a sin against women. I think the piece can send a very powerful message that comes from the ones directly and wholly affected by the presence or absence of the bill – the Filipino women.

From what I’ve heard about “Everywoman” and Inamorata it should be a great way to celebrate International Women’s Day. Do consider going, and tell your friends, too. In case you’re interested, here are the details:

Venue : CCP Main Theater
Time : 3:00 pm
Date : Sep 24, 25 2011
Time : 8:00 pm
Date : Sep 23, 24 2011

Tickets: P1000 | P800 | P700 | P500 | P400 (Evening Shows)
P600 | P500 | P400 | P300 | P200 (Matinee Shows)

Thanks for the tip, Russ and Adrienne.

When: Friday, September 16, 8:30 AM
Where: UP Diliman, School of Economics Auditorium

Hans Rosling is a riveting public speaker, I highly recommend attending this talk. Here is one of Hans Rosling’s TED talks on population growth.

“Fast Track The RH Bill Now!” Fun Run

When: 13 September · 09:00am – 11:00am
Where: UP Diliman, Sunken Garden Grandstand
RSVP on Facebook

The Alpha Phi Omega (APO) International Collegiate Service Sorority is making a stand for the RH bill! To raise awareness and declare their support, the UP APO Sorority is holding, “Fast Track the RH Bill Now”! Next Tuesday, September 13, they will be holding a short program in front of the UP Sunken Garden grandstand followed by a fun run around the UP Academic Oval.

Run for RH! Fast track the RH bill now!

RH as HR: A Public Forum on Senate Bill 2865

When: 15 September · 09:30am – 12:30pm
Where: UP Diliman, Malcolm Hall
RSVP on Facebook

The UP Institute of Human Rights and along with other organisations are holding a public forum on the senate version of the reproductive health bill. The authors of the senate RH bill, Senator Miram Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano will be speaking about it. Dr. Raul Pangalangan and Esperanza Cabral will also be at the forum.

Attend the forum and get informed about the bill with perspectives from the legislators, law experts and healthcare professionals. Ask questions, speak up, spread the word!

Seats are limited on a first come first serve basis. RSVP at 926-6230/411-3151 (Mina or Kiko)