Bakla, wala kang lugar sa politika dahil imoral ka!, this is what the Commission on Election is simply saying when they denied "Ang Ladlad", a party list of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders on basis of moral grounds.
Here's a report from Jonas Bagas of Akbayan:
Bigotry in our ballots
In a decision dated November 11, 2009, the 2nd Division of the Commission on Elections denied the application for accreditation of Ang Ladlad Party-list, a party-list of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders, on moral grounds.
The decision was obviously penned by apes.
Signed by Commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer, Lucenito Tagle, and Elias Yusoph, the resolution quoted the Bible and the Koran to claim that Ang Ladlad tolerates immorality, and therefore should not be accredited. They said practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth.
What these statements imply is that these commissioners have been denied something fundamental when they were still kids: love. I am sure that they were never hugged.
They find it perfectly acceptable to issue a resolution – a legal document – that sounds like a pastoral letter from CBCP or a manifesto from a fundamentalist group. They were quick to cite biblical verses or lines from the Koran, but forgot a basic tenet in our Constitution: that we are all equal, regardless of who we are.
They forgot that as commissioners, they are men of law, not men of faith. That the Commission on Elections is an institution of democracy, not a temple. That, as pointed out by an activist, they swore by the Bible to uphold the constitution, not the other way around. The issue is simple: use the law to determine whether a group should be accredited or not. There are no other standards – just the law.
How can we trust the COMELEC to modernize the electoral system when the commissioners still live in the Victorian era? Be wary, because those that that been mandated to automate the elections still believe that the Earth is the center of the universe. It is said that they weed out from the voters’ list women who are as outspoken as Etta Rosales, and they use tawas to make counting machines fool-proof and fraud-free.
But wariness is not enough. This bigotry is unacceptable. So I, Jonas Bagas, gay since birth, a practicing homosexual (occasionally during weekdays, but mostly during weekends), join my fellow lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders condemning this farce. We won’t take this sitting down. I am a proud member of another LGBT-friendly party-list, AKBAYAN, and I will join Ang Ladlad in this struggle against bigotry in our ballots.
If you want to be part of this fight, then join us this Saturday, November 14, 2009, at 9 AM at the University Hotel of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, QC. We will fight back, and we will recruit more.
8 comments:
Governments are not competent to pass judgment on ecclesiastical matters. The consequences of permitting such government intervention are innumerable both for society and for religious organizations. If the CBCP is serious about the integrity of its truths, it would condemn what COMELEC has done on this basis. Government has no business making judgments on dogma of any faith. It's job is to administer the Election Code and nothing more.
I don't understand this...I think the separation of church and the state is clearly stated in the constitution.
I believe that we have to exercise our faith and make sure that moral values are protected. However, running the state according to ones faith is promoting discrimination and will create more confusion. Not all Filipinos belong to the same group that the decision has been based upon.
We have fought so hard to protect our democracy. And depriving of ones group representation would start to take that away from us.
We have representatives from different regions and groups to hear and know what they want and need. Sino ba ang nakakaalam ng saloobin ng mga gays and lesbians? Definitely not the straight people. Just the same, na nasusuka ang ibang straight people sa ginagawa ng gays & lesbians. Kaya, kailangan marinig ng maintindihan at maging patas ang ating bansa...para pa sa darating na henerasyon...Dahil hindi mauubos ang gays &lesbians, nanganganak pa! We need to define what is decent and not decent, immoral and morals...AND WE CAN ONLY DO THIS BY ALLOWING A REPRESENTATIVE TO SPEAK.
For me, immorality is the perception of what you do...Wala bang immoral sa ibang group sector? Giving the gays and lesbians representation does not mean immoral? It's what people do that makes it immoral.
Kung tatanggalan natin ng right ang may "immoral" sa groups. Eh, Wala ng Election...Denied na lahat...
HINDI PO BA?
Nagtatanong lang po ako...I'm Innocent!
Remember Pluralism (Part 1 of 2)
On the grounds of "immorality", as based on the Bible and the Qur'an, the LGBT sector in the Philippines was denied party-list accreditation in Congress by the Comelec.
"Would ye really approach men in your lusts rather than women? Nay, ye are a people (grossly) ignorant! (The Noble Quran, 27:55)"
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, 'Abd al-Rahman, the son of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, reported from his father: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: "A man should not see the private parts of another man, and a woman should not see the private parts of another woman, and a man should not lie with another man under one covering, and a woman should not lie with another woman under one covering. (Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Menstruation (Kitab Al-Haid), Book 003, Number 0667)"
Leviticus 18:6 reads: "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female. It is an abomination." A similar verse occurs two chapters later, in Leviticus 20:13: "A man who sleeps with another man is an abomination and should be executed."
If lechon dealers were to seek party-list accreditation, should they not also be denied? After all, both the Bible and the Qur'an cite the pig's inherent uncleanliness, and their dealing with pigs in their businesses makes these dealers immoral and unclean also.
“Say (O Muhammad): I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of swine (pork); for that surely, is impure or impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah’s Name has not been mentioned while slaughtering) [al-An’aam 6:145]
Deuteronomy 14:8 says, "Also, you may not eat pigs. (Although their hoofs are divided, they don't chew their cud.) Never eat their meat or touch their dead bodies."
Remember Pluralism (Part 2 of 2)
Cock-fighting is considered by its adherents as a sport, but there is no denying the presence of organized gambling at cock-fighting events. A group of these sought party-list accreditation too, and though they were denied on a technicality, there's nothing preventing them from trying again in future elections. In the interest of even-handedness in judging whether the cock-fighting groups be allowed to run, should not the morals of Christianity and Islam also be considered by the Comelec on this group when they file their papers anew, and thus, also be denied?
For this reason, Islam prohibits oppression, usury, monopoly, cheating, theft, lying, backbiting, bearing false witness, cursing, bribery, homicide, gambling, and spreading immoral ideas and ideology. This secures the health of both the individual and society. (from Social Obligation in Islam).
As Italy's national lottery jackpot reached a record level of $183 million, an Italian bishop warned that the gambling fever was a form of idolatry. (from Catholic News Service).
What if prostitutes seek Congressional representation? What does the Bible and the Qur'an say about that, and would the Comelec use their verses again?
Further, given that this can of worms has been opened, shouldn't the Comelec retroactively apply the morals of these two religions in assessing the worthiness of all previously accredited party-list groups?
Why use the tenets of Christianity and Islam to judge the rights of groups seeking party-list accreditation? Such defeats the goal that representation like this is based upon. Seeking one's voice to be heard, a right guaranteed constitutionally, is rooted in our society's pluralism, the belief in the principle that one has an open mind to listen to other ideas as long as proper respect is given to everyone in the voicing of those ideas. One may not agree with what another is saying, but our society, in its ideal form, has to defend the right of everyone to say what they need to say, even in the face of the inevitable objections to such. Stoppering it, the way the Comelec has done while hiding behind the skirts of religion, hits at the very root of what government representation has sworn to uphold.
ano daw!una,iba iba nag tao,.iba iba nag bakla,..o tomboy,,ibig sabihin dapat itago satao ,o di ladlad ang pagkabakla mo if u want to run in govt??ano yun,.pano pa kaya ,mga bulok ang lifestyle jan,tulad na lang may mga kabit o nakakabuntis etc,.nagnanakaw etc,..ano bayan....wala sa gender yan..nasa trabaho at kung anong magagawa mo,...KSP,.kitid naman ng panukalang ganyan,..turuan mo pa mga tao na magpanngap sa mga tao ,.ano yun,....walang ganyn,..mababaw ,...kakatawa,..
Line of flight, bakit idinadawit nyo na naman ang CBCP. COMELEC naman ang nagbigay nga hatol. Why do you continue to drag others into this? For Ladlad group to get recognition, it has to earn its way. As for me personally, bakit nga naman di pinayagan? Eh, ang taong bayang din naman an naghuhusga? Kaya di ko ma getz ang padadawit sa CBCP. Say mo, line of flight?
una ,..tama naman na lahat ng nakaupo o nasa pwesto sa govt dapat malinis ang lifestyle,.mapa straight man o ibang genders,.dapat maging role model sila,.maayos,..kase nga naman baka pag bakla naka upo e,walang ginawa kundi gumawa ng imoral acts,..pero prejudging naman yata iyon!!!so,.it means,.pag bakla nasa pwesto,.maingat,..b proffesional...at stick to one partner,.diba??kase nga naman baka ,..lundag dito at duon,.nakakasira ng imahe ng govt,...ano pa kaya mga ,.madaming asawa at anak sa labas diba???mga magnanakaw etc,..sus..
Anonymous: why don't you read my blog about this subject which I think makes my position more clear regarding Comelec, the constitution, and the CBCP? http://sampaloctoc.blogspot.com
I personally feel that if ladlad is truly a political party, it is irrelevant if Comelec accredits them (in the long run). Yet, that feeling does not take away from the fact that Comelec's only job is to determine whether the minimum constitutional and statutory requirements have been met by all parties seeking party-list accreditation. Comelec's job is not to interpret the Bible or the Qu'ran and it's job is not to apply those suspect theological interpretations/ecclesiastical determinations to questions before it related to elections.
Post a Comment