GLBTQIA Filipinos Unite!
Call to Action for Filipino GLBTQIAs
By M.D. dela Cruz Tan
PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 2009

	Share |

Still, as stated, the Philippines has remained among the countries with less advances for GLBTQIAs – e.g. Hong Kong’s Pride celebrations for 2009 managed to get 10,000 participants, but the 2009 Pride celebrations in the Philippines is only aiming to get approximately 3,000 GLBTQIAs; India struck down Anti-Sodomy Law, yet the Philippines is still unable to admit the existence, thus staying mum about GLBTQIA existence; and Nepal’s Supreme Court has allowed same sex union, but the Philippines isn’t even able to approve an Anti-Discrimination Bill to accord all human beings equal treatment (special treatment works best in the Philippines, it seems).

NO MORE COMPROMISES

There is the fear that GLBTQIAs are simply looking for the inclusion in the law of gay marriages – something denied by activists when promoting, among others, the Anti-Discrimination Bill (filed in both Houses of Congress).  Methinks a stronger POV: SO WHAT IF WE WANT SAME SEX MARRIAGE?  Filipino GLBTQIAs deserve equal treatment, that’s a fact; and this equality should not stop where heterosexuals deem ONLY they deserve select rights (e.g. marriage and the accompanyng tax breaks, among others, that go with being married).

Note that in the Philippines, those in live-in relationships, also called common-law marriages, are governed by Article 147 of the Family Code, which reads:
“When a man and a woman who are capacitated to marry each other, live exclusively with each other as husband and wife without the benefit of marriage or under a void marriage, their wages and salaries shall be owned by them in equal shares and the property acquired by both of them through their work or industry shall be governed by the rules on co-ownership.  In the absence of proof to the contrary, properties acquired while they lived together shall be presumed to have been obtained by their joint efforts, work or industry, and shall be owned by them in equal shares. For purposes of this Article, a party who did not participate in the acquisition by the other party of any property shall be deemed to have contributed jointly in the acquisition thereof if the former’s efforts consisted in the care and maintenance of the family and of the household.  Neither party can encumber or dispose by acts inter vivos of his or her share in the property acquired during cohabitation and owned in common, without the consent of the other, until after the termination of their cohabitation.”

As it is, many GLBTQIs – especially those who remain unmarried to the opposite sex – pay more tax than their married heterosexual counterparts.  This is thanks to the system of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which taxes people without dependents (i.e. single) more than those with dependents (e.g. with wife/husband and/or children).  Sans the recognition of GLBTQI unions, GLBTQI Filipinos will, then, be classified as single EVEN IF already in a same sex loving relationship (and no matter how long the relationship may already be).  This bias is unjust ESPECIALLY SINCE GLBTQIs, even when paying more to pay the salary of public servants, are largely considered second-class (third class, even) citizens.

There remain many issues facing Filipino GLBTQIAs – from the growing number of HIV and/or AIDS cases among MSMs (since April 2009, now the community registering the most number of cases – prior to that, heterosexuals, including overseas Filipino workers, were the most affected) to the lack of political representation (think Ang Ladlad), and from continuing ill-conceived mainstream media coverage (e.g. generalizations of GLBTQIAs as bakla) to the allowing of discriminatory policies like they’re the norm (e.g. expulsion from schools for homosexuality, and refusal of a tax payer to go into a publicly owned building because a publicly paid government official is homophobic, like in Makati City).

The long term solution is, of course, in education.

But Filipino GLBTQIAs need to be more proactive in pushing for the educating.  Because for as long as even within our ranks, there’s lack of acceptance – and pushing of that acceptance – of GLBTQIAs, the struggle shouldn’t be ended.

For as long as Boy Abunda’s approximately 20 year relationship is considered immoral by the COMELEC (whose commissioners, by the way, certainly pay less than Abunda as far as taxations are concerned), AND THE POPULAR HOST CHOOSING TO REMAIN LARGELY MUM ABOUT IT, GLBTQIA Filipinos need to continue pushing.  And for as long HUGE gay names like Ricky Reyes, Rajo Laurel and Pitoy Moreno not even seeking to support GLBTQIAs (Gay Pride is inexistent for them?), failing to use their fame (and power) to help those who look up to them (sadly, many GLBTQIAs end up looking up to them, irrespective of their seeming apathy of the gay experiences that are never always easy for most), GLBTQIA Filipinos still have a long, long, long way to go.

Filipino GLBTQIAs need to own this fight.

More than bugging government officials to protect ALL FILIPINOS’ rights FAIRLY – all the elected officials’ email addresses are on the government Web sites; or telling the Commission on Human Rights to stop the talking, start the doing; or blogging, blogging, blogging about issues affecting us – whoever knows him has to tell Abunda to open his mouth about our causes (not just Argentina corned beef); to tell Laurel to design for equality.

GLBTQIA Filipinos already have the number.

Start the showing of THAT number.