In an effort to further the causes of reason, science, and secularism (RSS) in the public sphere, and to celebrate the group’s progress over the course of three years, the Filipino Freethinkers (FF) successfully held its third official forum last April 1 at the UP Ayalaland-Technohub.

Attendees were greeted by an exhibit featuring props and materials used in our many events and demonstrations, including the “coming out” closet used during the 29 Steps for LGBT Rights event, the cardboard SUVs worn by the “bishops” during the Bantay Bishop demonstration, and several of our most memorable placards for various RH rallies and the LGBT Pride March.

Attendees were also handed a copy of From Flickers to Flames: Blazing the trail for reason, science, and secularism in the Philippines, a mini-anthology featuring some of the best articles from our official website.

Opening the program was our beloved UP Diliman Senior Faculty Advisor Dr. Sylvia Claudio.

President Red Tani then kicked the presentations off with a primer on freethought.

This was followed by Affiliations Director Garrick Bercero’s presentation on our growing number of school and provincial chapters.

Online Director Jeiel Aranal expounded on our command of the Internet and social media.

RH Advocacy Director Kenneth Keng narrated our story in the fight for both Reproductive Health and Freedom of Expression. He also acknowledged the presence of several of our allies from the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN), including Elizabeth Angsioco and Dr. Junice Melgar.

The audience was then treated to an awesome intermission by Silly People’s Improv Theater, or SPIT.

The forum continued with LGBT Advocacy Director Beatriz Torre’s presentation on our burgeoning alliance with the LGBT community.

Science Advocacy Director Pecier Decierdo spoke about our passion for and efforts towards science literacy. He also lent the floor to Mind Museum Director Maribel Garcia so she could share a few heartening words.

Publications Director Marguerite de Leon highlighted our website’s most influential and infamous articles.

To round up the series of presentations, Secularism Director Pepe Bawagan gave our State of Secularism Address, arguably the most popular presentation that day.

The floor was then opened for questions and comments, and regular and new members alike brought up many interesting topics, from establishing programs for secular parenting, to people who wave around their PhDs to buttress bigoted beliefs.

To cap off the event, Pepe Bawagan presented the winners of four very special awards.

The Reason Award went to professor and columnist Raul Pangalangan.

The Science Award went to astrophysicist Reinabelle Reyes.

And the Secularism Award went to RH champion Senator Pia Cayetano.

Last but certainly not the least, the Bigot of the Year Award went to Senator Tito Sotto. The first three awardees will have Php10,000 donated in their name to the charity of their choice, while Sen. Sotto’s Php10,000 will be donated in his name to RHAN, an organization whose cause he is directly opposed to.

Upon the forum’s conclusion, attendees milled around the exhibit area, chatting and taking photos with the props and placards.

Overall, we felt that the event was a great success, and we are thrilled and humbled by all the people who decided to come over and spend a sunny Sunday afternoon with us immersed in reason, science, and secularism. ‘Til the next forum!

–

Images c/o Chris Sienna, Igmidio Galingan, Bhavan Karnani, and Dustin Celestino

The Filipino Freethinkers would like to thank Senator Tito Sotto for his recent cash contribution of Php10,000 to the Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN) in direct support of women’s rights and pushing for the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill currently pending in both houses of Congress.

The donation was made in his name as his prize for winning the Bigot of the Year Award, recently held at the Filipino Freethinkers’ RSS (Reason, Science & Secularism) Forum in UP-Ayalaland Technohub. The title of Bigot of the Year is awarded through an online poll held on the Freethinkers’ website, where participants vote on who they think is ‘the biggest close-minded douchebag’ in the Philippines. The winner gets the prize money donated directly to a cause they are directly opposed to. The honorable Senator Sotto narrowly beat out a slew of other bigoted nominees, which included

Congressman Pabling Garcia, who claimed at a congressional hearing that members of the organization Catholics4RH could not be real Catholics,

Bishop Teodoro Bacani, who says that same-sex marriages are ‘kadiri’,

Eric Manalang, who led members of Pro Life Philippines in shouting, “You should tell your mother to abort you”, at pro-RH Catholic mothers,

and Rizalito David, who maintains that his striking an RH advocate in the House of Representatives while Congress was in session is a ‘non-issue’.

“I wholeheartedly thank Senator Sotto for his contribution to the cause and congratulate him on his victory”, said Kenneth Keng, Filipino Freethinkers’ RH Advocacy Director. “To be possessed of so much intolerance, prejudice, hypocrisy and callous mean-spiritedness that he managed to beat the other bigots in the running is a real achievement. But I suppose laughing in the face of women who have lost family members through complications in childbirth, sitting right across you in the gallery as you stand behind your privilege podium in the Senate session hall, would just about do it.”

Half of the FF Forum 3 Venue

Spend April Fools’ Day wisely! Attend the third Filipino Freethinkers forum!

• What: FF Forum 3: Reason, Science, and Secularism
• When: April 1, 2012 (a Sunday), from 1:30 – 6:30pm
• Where: Tech Portal Conference rooms A & B of UP-AyalaLand TechnoHub in Commonwealth Avenue (directions here)

Join us as we celebrate our journey with the following activities:

3 years of FF

Through talks and discussions, videos and presentations, we share the story of FF’s first three years, remembering how we fought for the causes we believe in:

• RH Bill
• LGBT Rights
• Freedom of Speech
• Freedom of Religion
• Secularism

State of Freethought Address

We tell you what we think of the current state of reason, science, and secularism in our country, and invite people — through official membership and recruitment — to join us in our cause.

Freethought Awards Ceremony

We give out the first annual Freethought Awards to those individuals and groups in the Philippines who champion the ideals of freethought (and those who don’t):

• Reason Award
• Science Award
• Secularism Award
• Bigotry Award

More information about the event will be posted in the coming days. The venue can hold 200, but only fifty slots are left, so if you wish to reserve one, please do so soon using the form below. Be sure to answer the question at the end of the form to let us know that you’re a freethinker who’s serious about attending the event.

There were over 80 attendees that afternoon, and our usual haunt at Starbucks Ansons Ortigas was barely able handle all of that sexiness. So, we felt it was high-time to try out a non-commercial venue the next time around, and what better place could there be to house a bunch of heathens for some sweet, sweet sacrilege than this –

For the following Sunday meetup, the Freethinkers went to church. But it was a very special one — the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Makati, which is the home church of FF’s Reproductive Health Advocacy Director Kenneth Keng and his family.  The Episcopalians — basically the Anglican Church when set outside of England — are a more liberal bunch compared to Catholics. They have female and homosexual members in their clergy, and generally have a more progressive stance on social issues.

It’s very refreshing to see a church with a sense of humor.

Kenneth and his sister Michelle were awesome enough to arrange for a meetup in their church’s parish hall, a large room where they usually tag-team as Sunday school teachers.

Lot of great discussions that day. Thanks to the hall’s acoustics, which was an honest relief from all that blender-whirring from coffee shop meetups past, we could easily converse on several rich topics, from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ controversial new advertisement, to the current Republican war on contraception in the US.

Bishop Arthur Jones, the Presiding Rector of Holy Trinity, even dropped by to say hi. We very much enjoyed his short speech about always being inquisitive and open-minded. I personally would like to hear one of his sermons — tales of fire and brimstone they’re likely not.

And it seems the Episcopal god took kindly to us, what with the rainbow that appeared when the meeting was adjourned!

And then Red got insecure and started levitating to put us in our place. We’re sorry we doubted you, Red!

The following day, a few of us from FF’s Coordinating Council made the trek to Los Banos, Laguna to attend the meetup of the group’s burgeoning UP- Los Banos Chapter. Chapter director Api, along with LB Freethinkers Ryan, Peter, JM, and Karl were very, very kind enough to take us on a tour that afternoon. We started at the International Rice Research Institute, where we saw a 6,000-year-old grain of rice at the museum; then visited the UP Carabao Center for a quick snack; then took a leisurely trek by the woodsy roads near the Forestry.

We also saw an Abueva sculpture called the “Pegaraw,” although we were smart-asses and pointed out that the winged beast was more of a Pegasus-carabao hybrid, hence it should be called a Pegabao instead, but Kenneth was obviously delighted by it regardless.

Later that evening, we met up with the rest of the chapter for a nice meetup, where we discussed conspiracy theories, Red’s Satanic Challenge, and the chapter’s exciting new projects, which include accreditation in the university. We had dinner and drinks after, and while we had to head back to Manila at the end of the night, we knew we’d definitely be visiting more and more often. Awesome job, FF UPLB!

And I’m so sorry you had to see that.

–

Photos courtesy of Frank III Manuel, Patrick Charles Rigonan, and Chris Villanueva Sienna

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

RSVP on Facebook

This Saturday’s meetup, we’ll be discussing the following topics:

1) Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is seeking medical treatment abroad, causing questions of the right of a citizen to travel.

2) At the recent National Youth Day held by members of the Catholic Church, Fr. Falvie Feldas said that the Church was losing influence among the youth in the information age, and encouraged the remaining faithful youth to go online. Is his claim about the youth becoming less involved with the Church correct? What does this mean for society?

3) United Colors of Benneton came out with its new Unhate ad campaign featuring world leaders kissing, including the pope kissing an imam. Does it go too far? Or not far enough?

Here are their corresponding links, for your reference:

• Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Right to Travel
• Is the Church losing influence over the youth?
• New Benneton Ad Campaign

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, November 5, 2011
Time: 2:30pm – 5:30pm

RSVP on Facebook

This Saturday’s meetup, we’re having a toast for Christopher Hitchens as part of the Hitchens video project! We’ll also be discussing the following topics:

1) The population as the human species total hits 7 billion. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

2) There’s trouble in the psychology community with a noted scientist being found out to be a fraud.

3) Back here at home, a Pinoy Big Brother contestant is apparently an atheist—we’ll be discussing religion in Pinoy TV.

Here are their corresponding links, for your reference:

• A Toast for Christopher Hitchens
• Population Hits 7 Billion
• Data Forgery in Science
• Religion in Pinoy TV

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.

We’re getting organized — or at least more organized — and we’ll be re-aligning our goals and strategy to get better results. But before we can talk about new goals and better results, let’s review what we’ve achieved so far.

Here are some highlights:

1. We’ve spread freethought on social media through Twitter (almost 3,000 followers), Facebook (almost 3,000 group members and over 8,000 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.)
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

We achieved all this keeping our original vision and mission in mind:

Vision:

Long-term: Freethinkers can live in a Philippines free from all forms of violence, discrimination, and prejudice, their rights and freedoms fully protected by a government in which their opinions are fairly and adequately represented.

Short-term: Freethinkers can easily get in touch with fellow freethinkers to enjoy online and offline activities wherever they live and whatever their cultural or socioeconomic background.

Mission:

PROMOTION: Promote freethought, science, and reason online (websites, blogs, wikis, and forums) and offline (magazine, radio, and TV) with a positive, non-adversarial approach.
PUBLISHING: Publish materials for freethinkers such as newsletters (monthly), magazines (quarterly), and books (yearly).
EDUCATION: Create a freethought library where freethinkers can donate, lend, and borrow books, movies, and other freethought media.
EVENTS: Sponsor and organize events for freethinkers such as meetups, forums, talks, workshops, and film showings.
FINANCE: Raise money for the above purposes through donations, grants, membership fees (maybe when we’re formal), and merchandise sales.

You’ll notice that result 5 (advocacy and activism) was not part of our original vision and mission. Should we revise the vision – mission so that it’s included? Are there other goals and objectives you’d like to see in there? Or are there goals and objectives you don’t want FF to be involved in?

We’ll discuss all this and more at a general assembly we’re planning this November. Before then, let us know what you think by contacting us or leaving a comment below.

Thank you so much for all your support, and we welcome you to become even more involved in FF. With so much irrationality and bigotry in our country, we need all the help we can get.

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.