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Same Sex Marriage

Introduction
Eric and James have been together for 8 years now. Both are Filipino citizens
and are leading their own successful careers. Theyre happy and psychologically
capable of having a family of their own thus are planning for their upcoming wedding for
October. However the wedding will not take place in the Philippines as it is not
recognized here nor acknowledged that they are married. This then defies their own
definition of a sacred union between two individuals. The acceptance of society on
homosexuals has long been a debate since time immemorial. Discussions about them
range from their stand in society, their rights, their customs and behaviour, and even
their existence which homophobics would throw at them indefinitely. Homosexuals
however have been fighting for their rights to stand equal in society and be given the
equal treatment like all men and women nowadays enjoy. One of these privileges is the
right to be one with the person that you deeply love through the union and sanctity of
marriage.
In the United States, same sex marriage is legally recognized in some
jurisdictions within the country. Marriage licenses are now being issued to same sex
couples in Ohio, Indiana, Colorado, Virginia, Utah, Arkansas and other states as their
bans are now lifted one by one. It is a sign of hope for same sex couples as they may
travel to these states to exchange vows. This is one of the liberated facts about
Westerners as they open their minds to the possibilities. Most Asian countries on the
other hand depict a stronger and more conservative hold on social traditions and
culture. Aside from social traditions and culture, the Philippines is known to be of a
Christian country that strictly prohibits same sex marriage because according to the
teachings of the Church, God only made two genders and for each other they belong.
According to Article 2 Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the
Philippines is the separation of the church and state shall be inviolable. Churches are
under the dictate of our government and once the latter has declared its laws, the
former cannot contradict it.
From the perspective of the homosexual couples who want to get married, what
is their take on all of this? How do they fare with societys outlook on them as an
individual and when they have a partner? What are their experiences being constantly
judged and persecuted by the opinions of the many? These are the questions handled
during conducting this interview.


Interview Summary Report
The interviews conducted will tells us more on the legal aspects of same sex
marriage as well as its underlying principles on how people perceive this taboo of an
idea. Same sex marriage is not accepted in the Philippines as our laws are bound by
the church doctrines of family. Family values frown upon the idea and this is supported
by our church doctrines. However, we also consider the doctrine of Lex Loci
Celebracion where marriage celebrated abroad is legal as long as it celebrated legally
in said country. By therefore marrying in a country that legalizes same sex marriage
would be considered legal in our country.
People view same sex marriage, as stated earlier, as taboo or not widely
accepted by the majority. According to our respondent, the people have given already
shown their disapproval with the idea of same sex marriage even in the past. There are
verses found in the bible that shuns the act and these verses are what constitute our
laws through canons. These canons are the socially acceptable norms that the early
society used to live a normal and righteous life. These norms now constitutes our
culture, traditions, and as well as our laws. To summarize, same sex marriage is
considered as morally wrong in our society.
Legalizing same sex marriage in the Philippines might bring more trouble than
benefit, according to our respondent. First, the church would contradict outright. The
constitution explicitly states in Article 2 Section 6 that the separation of Church and
State shall be inviolable. Despite this, the country still respects the church doctrines on
family values and would still adhere to the basics, which are the said doctrines. Second,
we will have to adhere to new rights to support and respect the sanctity of marriage with
the same gender. We will need to discover the pros and cons of such legislation and
based on facts, a legislation of such would result in more problems than benefits.
Diseases, such as HIV, are an example of this problem. HIV is still incurable and
promoting relationships that could potentially spread such a dreadful disease would be
impractical to the general welfare of the public.











Bullying
Introduction
A student going home covered in bruises with a pained look in his face may look
like the typical scenario a kid encounters as he grows up and his world stretches
outside the borders of his family. *Carlo for example was a 3
rd
year high school student
of one of the respondents who was a teacher. He often came home either bruised from
physical bullying or pained from a verbal one. People would always assess that its a
natural event for a male student to be going through this phase as he is a young boy
and they get rowdy at times. What if its a girl? Is getting bruises or verbally abused still
normal as she grows up? No, not any of these acts are normal or accepted once the
victim is already harmed, physically, mentally or psychologically. It is no laughing matter
that it should be set aside. Truthfully it is a matter that everyone should be concerned
because it would disrupt the well-being of future generations. The acts would cause
trauma and ruin the welfare of the child. There are a numerous forms of bullying. Be it
verbatim, through the cyber world, graphics, rumours and many more. All of these
constitute to discriminating a person and hurting another thus disrupting her chance of
having a well-rounded life.
On September 12, 2013, President Noynoy Aquino approved Republic Act No.
10627 or also known as the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013. This law focuses on bullying and
expects that all elementary and secondary school address the policies on anti-bullying.
Schools and principals are expected to give an annual written report to the Secretary of
Department of Education (DepEd) that contains any relevant information on bullying or
retaliation in their school. This is believed to help the DepEd help raise the awareness
on bullying present in students that hinders the proper growth of a child in all aspects be
it physically, mentally or psychologically.
The experiences of the bullied victims are always taken into account as they
reiterate the hardships they have gone through under the hands of the bullies. It
degrades their whole being to the point that they succumb to the thought of their own
purpose. The effects of bullying are tremendous and it is mostly negative. The bullies on
the other hand have their own reason for their actions and it is equally disturbing as to
why these students have turned into bullies. According to the interviews conducted to
school teachers and officials, the source of their actions initially starts within the family
and within the people that surround them outside their homes and that immediately
equates to peer pressure that turns the child into what they are.

Interview Summary Report
The interviews conducted now only to show the immense trauma of the child
being bullied, but also tackles the side of the perpetrator, the bully, and the factors in
which bullying occurs. According to the interviews conducted, signs of a bullied child are
evident especially in the classroom setting. The child shows symptoms of uneasy
behaviour towards his/her classmates as well as a restless feeling towards the faculty.
Absences and tardiness usually occurs right after, thus affecting the performance of the
child. Children are bullied in many aspects but the most common area is the physical
appearance of the victim. Bullying is carried out, as stated by one of the respondents,
either through physical or verbal abuse.
The bullied kids usually are the ones who tend to be alone while bullies are
usually the popular ones found with groups of other kids. This scenario showcases the
typical show of power scene in the school. This psychology of desire for power or
dominance reflects on how a child is raised by his/her family. Although the school as a
molding institution is considered as the childs secondary family, the initial values and
experience encountered in the childs history with the parents is still predominantly
inherent. An explanation would be that a childs trauma being abused by his/her family
is a reason why that same person is extending the bad experiences with a fellow
student in the form of bullying. This serves as an exit and stress reliever for the bully but
a cause of trauma for the bullied kid. This has occurred in several instances where a kid
who grew up with delinquent parents tends to become the trouble child and exerts his
effort in making other kids suffer.
Although bullying has been a trend in the recent years for terrifying kids in school
and has been shown to be an occurrence on case-to-case basis, it is natural. According
to one of the respondents, bullying is a natural phenomenon in the road to growing up. It
is an essential part of a childs growth and it is natural that he/she will experience it at
least a couple of times throughout life. There will be teasing and fights between children
and all will be settled and taken into account to experience. What is not natural is when
the bullying is affecting the child tremendously in both physical and psychologically. This
is the case when physical injuries are inflicted by the bully or when the child is clinically
depressed by the psychological trauma experienced. This is the degree of bullying
where help should be sought.

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