This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Bienvenido M. Abante Jr. | |
---|---|
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines | |
In office December 7, 2020 –June 1, 2022 | |
House Speaker | Lord Allan Velasco |
House Minority Leader | |
In office July 22,2019 –October 16,2020 | |
Preceded by | Danilo Suarez |
Succeeded by | Joseph Stephen Paduano |
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Manila's 6th district | |
Assumed office June 30,2019 | |
Preceded by | Sandy Ocampo |
In office June 30,2004 –June 30,2010 | |
Preceded by | Mark Jimenez (Mario B. Crespo) |
Succeeded by | Sandy Ocampo |
Member of the Manila City Council from the 6th district | |
In office June 30,1992 –June 30,1995 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Bienvenido Mirando Abante Jr. May 15,1951 Santa Mesa,Manila,Philippines |
Political party | NUP (2011-2012,2019–present) |
Other political affiliations | Asenso Manileño (2019–present) Lakas–CMD (1994-2011) UNA (2012–2019) |
Spouse | Marie Paz Toledo (m. 1977) |
Alma mater | Far Eastern University Citadel Baptist College (BA) Baptist Bible College (MA) Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (MPA) |
Occupation | Politician, Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Bible Baptist Ekklesia |
Bienvenido "Benny" Mirando Abante Jr. (born May 15, 1951) is a Filipino politician and Bible Baptist pastor who is currently serving as the representative of Manila's 6th district since 2019, a position he previously held from 2004 to 2010. He also served as a House Deputy Speaker from 2020 to 2022, House Minority Leader from 2019 to 2020, and a councilor of Manila from the 6th district from 1992 to 1995. [1] [2] He is also the senior pastor of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Ekklesia (formerly Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church and Ministries) in Santa Ana, Manila. [3]
Abante was born in Santa Mesa, Manila on July 15, 1951, the eldest of four sons of Rev. Bienvenido "Ben" O. Abante Sr. and Priscilla Mirando. He has two younger brothers, who both grew up to be ministers. [4]
He grew up taking on odd jobs such as shining shoes, selling newspapers and corsages and working on a construction site at a young age to support himself. He also worked as an auditor. [4] He earned his bachelor's degree from Far Eastern University in 1971. He later graduated with a bachelor's and graduate degrees in theology at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri and Baptist Bible College in Makati, respectively. He also holds a master's degree in Government Management from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.[ citation needed ]
In 1975, he started the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church and Ministries in Santa Ana, Manila. He is also in the academe, having been named as the president of Metropolitan Lighthouse Theological School and Institute in Quezon City and administrator of the Metropolitan International Christian Academy in Manila in 1985. He was conferred an honorary degree in theology at Citadel Baptist College in 1985 and honorary doctor of theology at Indianapolis Baptist College in 1987.
In 1986, he founded the Bible Believers League for Morality and Democracy (BIBLEMODE), [5] and also heads the Abante International Ministries (AIM), the Grace and Truth Community International Foundation, Inc., and the Ben O. Abante Baptist Bible College.
In 2014, Abante appeared in the action drama film Alibughang Anak (lit. 'Prodigal Son'), directed by fellow pastor Rudy Fajardo. [6]
He served as a councilor of Manila from the 6th district from 1992 to 1995. He was recognized by the Manila City Hall Press Club as the Outstanding Councilor of Manila in 1994. After his term as councilor, he served as commissioner of Presidential Commission for Urban Poor, Manila from 1996 to 1998. He was also named special assistant to national chairman of Lakas–NUCD in 2000.[ citation needed ]
He ran and won a seat in the House of Representatives in May 2004. He was subsequently named chairman of the Committee on Public Information. His major undertakings in his district focused on health, education, social services and infrastructure development and/or improvement. Abante's committee also scrutinized the Right of Reply Bill that was criticized by the media organizations as a curtailment to the freedom of the press. [7] He also proposed an Anti-Sex Video Bill that imposes stiffer penalties of the people involved in the manufacture of sex videos. [8] He was one of the principal authors of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill during the 14th Congress. The FOI bill was defeated in Congress after its opponents questioned if there was a quorum on the final session day. [9] Abante unsuccessfully defended his seat in the 2010 election, losing to former representative Rosenda Ann "Sandy" Ocampo. He attempted a comeback to the Congress in 2013 and 2016 but was unsuccessful, losing both to Ocampo. Abante was elected as Representative of Manila's 6th District in 2019 with the previous incumbent Ocampo ineligible for reelection. He ran against Councilor Cassy Sison and newcomer Yvette Ocampo, Sandy's sister. He ran under the banner of Asenso Manileño with Isko Moreno running for Mayor.
On July 10, 2020, he is one of the 11 representatives who voted to grant the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN. He is one of the two Manila Lawmakers to grant the franchise along with Edward Maceda. [10] He was re-elected in 2022.
Abante has made some legislative proposals that affects the LGBT community. In 2010, he filed a bill that proposed the criminalization of conducting same sex unions, which he views "highly immoral, scandalous and detestable", which aims to penalize couples and the solemnizing officer by fine an imprisonment. [11]
He has also filed a bill to institutionalize the rights of heterosexual people including guaranteeing them being able to express opinions about LGBT issues according "to their religious beliefs and practices and to biblical principles and standards." Since there were efforts to introduce bills to protect the rights of LGBT people, Abante argued that in the spirit of "justice, equity, and fair play", a bill on heterosexuals, who he says are "actual and direct creations of God" is apt. He also believes that LGBT people who face discrimination ought to "to be what God created us to be". [12]
Abante has opposed the passage of a legislation guaranteeing rights of members of the LGBT community, believing that such measure would eventually lead to the legalization of same sex unions. He believes that LGBT rights is more of a "moral issue" rather than a "rights issue". [13] He opposed the SOGIE Equality Bill, saying the constitution grants already sufficient rights. [14]
Despite his stances, Abante says he does not discriminate against the LGBT community, noting that he had supporters who are LGBT. [14]
Abante has aimed to legislate a measure banning pornography. His House Bill No. 3305 was passed by the House of Representatives in 2008, which would prohibit the production of pornographic videos regardless if the subjects are adults or children; consensual or non-consensual. [15] [16]
Abante married Marie Paz Toledo in 1977, and has three children. His daughter Priscilla Marie is a lawyer and had served as a councilor of Manila from the 6th district from 2013 to 2022. [17] His son Benny Fog III is an incumbent councilor from the same district since 2022.
Within Christianity, there are a variety of views on sexual orientation and homosexuality. The view that various Bible passages speak of homosexuality as immoral or sinful emerged in the first millennium AD, and has since become entrenched in many Christian denominations through church doctrine and the wording of various translations of the Bible.
The National Baptist Convention of America International, Inc., more commonly known as the National Baptist Convention of America or sometimes the Boyd Convention, is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is a predominantly African American Baptist denomination, and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The National Baptist Convention of America has members in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Africa. The current president of the National Baptist Convention of America is Dr. Samuel C. Tolbert Jr. of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), also known as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), is an international LGBT-affirming mainline Protestant Christian denomination. There are 222 member congregations in 37 countries, and the fellowship has a specific outreach to members of the LGBT community.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) in the Philippines face legal challenges not faced by non-LGBT people, with numerous anti-discrimination legislations, bills and laws that are struggling to be passed on a national level to protect LGBT rights nationwide, with some parts of the country only existing on a local government level. LGBT individuals in the Philippines are often faced with disadvantages and difficulties in acquiring equal rights within the country. They also have a higher rate of suicide and suicide ideation compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The seminary has been an innovator in theological education, establishing one of the first Ph.D. programs in religion in the year 1892. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to a newly built campus in downtown Louisville and moved to its current location in 1926 in the Crescent Hill neighborhood. In 1953, Southern became one of the few seminaries to offer a full, accredited degree course in church music. For more than fifty years Southern has been one of the world's largest theological seminaries, with an FTE enrollment of over 3,300 students in 2015.
Methodist viewpoints concerning homosexuality are diverse because there is no one denomination which represents all Methodists. The World Methodist Council, which represents most Methodist denominations, has no official statements regarding sexuality. British Methodism holds a variety of views, and permits ministers to bless same-gender marriages. United Methodism, which covers the United States, the Philippines, parts of Africa, and parts of Europe, concentrates on the position that the same-sex relations are incompatible with "Christian teaching", but extends ministry to persons of a homosexual orientation, holding that all individuals are of sacred worth.
Many views are held or have been expressed by religious organisation in relation to same-sex marriage. Arguments both in favor of and in opposition to same-sex marriage are often made on religious grounds and/or formulated in terms of religious doctrine. Although many of the world's religions are opposed to same-sex marriage, the number of religious denominations that are conducting same-sex marriages have been increasing since 2010. Religious views on same-sex marriage are closely related to religious views on homosexuality.
Local elections were held in the Manila on May 10, 2010, within the Philippine general election. The voters will elect for the elective local posts in the city: the mayor, vice mayor, the six Congressmen, and the councilors, six in each of the city's six legislative districts.
In Seventh-day Adventism, homosexual behaviour is considered a violation of God's commands, and as such, openly homosexual behaviour is subject to church discipline. However, "Gay and lesbian members who choose to be, and remain, [sexually] abstinent should be given the opportunity to participate in all church activities including leadership positions in the Church. Those who struggle with temptation to sin should be treated the same way as other members who struggle with sexual sin. We strongly affirm that homosexual persons have a place in the Seventh-day Adventist Church." The Church's opposition to same-gender sexual practices and relationships is on the grounds that "sexual intimacy belongs only within the marital relationship of a man and a woman." The Church believes the Bible consistently affirms the pattern of heterosexual monogamy, and all sexual relations outside the scope of heterosexual marriage are contrary to God's original plan. Although there are individual churches that welcome openly LGBT people, such as the Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Crosswalk Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference remains opposed to this.
Richard Wayne Allen is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 12th congressional district since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Within Christianity, there are a variety of views on the issues of gender identity and transgender people. Christian denominations vary in their official position: some explicitly support gender transition, some oppose it, and others are divided or have not taken an official stance. Within any given denomination, individual members may or may not endorse the official views of their church on the topic.
The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity ExpressionEquality Bill, also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB), is a series of House and Senate bills that were introduced in the 17th, 18th, and 19th Congress of the Philippines, which aims to set into law measures to prevent various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. The first anti-discrimination bill based on SOGIE was first introduced in the 14th Congress of the Philippines, and has since been refiled continuously up to the present Congress.
Manila held its local elections on Monday, May 13, 2019, as a part of the 2019 Philippine general election. Voters elected candidates for mayor, vice mayor, 6 congressmen, and the 36 councilors that would be members of the City Council. There are a total of 736,156 people who voted out of the 1,065,149 city's registered voters. Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso won the elections, enabling him to serve a three-year term as the mayor of Manila. His running mate, the incumbent vice mayor Maria Sheilah "Honey" Lacuna-Pangan, once again topped the vice mayoral race, securing her to serve her second three-year term as the city's vice mayor.
Manila's 6th congressional district is one of the six congressional districts of the Philippines in the city of Manila. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 1987. The district consists of barangays 587 to 648 and 829 to 905 in the eastern Manila districts of north Paco, Pandacan, San Miguel, Santa Ana and Santa Mesa bordering Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and San Juan also facing the Pasig River. It is currently represented in the 19th Congress by Benny Abante of the National Unity Party (NUP) and Asenso Manileño.
The Philippines does not legally recognize same-sex unions, either in the form of marriage or civil unions. The Family Code of the Philippines defines only recognizes marriages between "a man and a woman". The 1987 Constitution itself does not mention the legality of same-sex unions or has explicit restrictions on marriage that would bare same-sex partners to enter into such arrangement.
Local elections are scheduled to be held in Manila on May 12, 2025, as part of the 2025 Philippine general election. The electorate will elect a mayor, a vice mayor, 36 members of the Manila City Council, and six district representatives to the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The officials elected in the election will assume their respective offices on June 30, 2025, for a three-year-long term.