Scrooge-Grinch 2009

There are several reasons why I have no Xmas spirit this year; not that I ever had enough holiday gusto anyway. Firstly, I have been afflicted by a chronic cold and cough since November. I have dragged myself to work and social functions even when I had a recurring fever and sore throat. I finally sought medical intervention yesterday because I was afraid my broncho-pneumonia had returned with a vengeance. I was diagnosed with acute pharyngitis with a complication of my asthma. Our holidays won't be the same either, with the recent loss of our beloved Hannahgirl. We had wanted to bring her to the annual Pride March and had her red costume ready. But she was so unwell then that we decided not to take her after a visit with the vet. Right after the parade, we rushed home to take her for emergency treatment. She was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer and a severe cold. 2 days on IV and her tummy was so distended, the vet conducted another lab test. It was discovered that there was a problem with her female reproductive organs and immediate surgery was required. It cost us a lot, but Jeni wouldn't have it any other way. Hannah survived the surgery but her infection had spread, and she died last December 9th.In the light of the global economic crisis, everyone had problems with finances. Although, my employment was sufficiently protected by the fact that I was in government service, my salary still suffered the impact nevertheless. Holiday blessings also seemed to come on the short end. It didnt help that I missed out on the raffle draw because I had to finish a rush job for the OSEC..(F,,,ck..ng golf and country clubs!) As a result, I left the office party early in disgust and frustration.Jeni refuses to fall into a holiday depression though. She cheerfully trekked to Quiapo to shop for cheap Xmas gifts. With our limited resources, she decided to engage in a little commercial enterprising and sold Xmas brownies and designer chocolates. She managed to coerce me into becoming her marketing arm and I had to squeeze in selling duties in between my office work and social engagements.I am grateful for the Xmas gifts I've received though. My officemates have remained generous despite being similarly cash-strapped as I am. I was surprised that business entities I have dealt with during the year have also remembered me this holiday season. But in my present health condition, I had to skip on the usual XMas parties. I hope I somehow "pick up emotionally" before Xmas...otherwise, I'd surely miss out on all the fun and excitement.

My Hannah

I just lost a very dear friend last week. We were together for 11 years and she helped me through a lot of ups and downs. She came into my life in 1999 just when I was dealing with the loss of another loved one, Spencer. He left in the prime of his youth, quite abruptly, and it was hard to get over. That's when Hannah entered our lives and we immediately fell in love with her. She was the last to be sold; probably the runt of the litter. She had a widow's peak on her rust-brown head and the most soulful eyes. And Angie and I ended up paying more than what she would have actually sold for. When Angie and I broke up, Hannah got to go with me while Flygirl stayed with Anj. That was another heartbreak she had to pull me out of. Living with my family in Kamias again, she slept in the room wherever I was. When I got my own room, she slept by the foot of my bed too. Hannah knew the land of tears very well. She instinctively knew when one was crying. She would rise up on her short hind legs, reach for your face and lick off your tears. Hannah was a quiet dog. A real house-pet who stayed out of your way most of the time. She never pressured you to play with her after a tough day at work, and would patiently wait to be fed. She loved her walks though and her favorite word was "walk". Say it out loud and she would immediately lunge for the door, happily jumping up and down. She was an English-speaking dog too, and responded to such instructions as "stay" and "behave". She can even understand "eat your vegetables" and obediently went back to her potatoes one time to the utter shock and amazement of my sister.Speaking of my sister, one time I asked her to babysit Hannah at her home and her stupid maids left the gates open so Hannah got out. Here's something Hannah and I had in common, we're both poor in navigation. For a hounddog like her, she gets lost and confused very easily and she wouldn't know how to get back home. I cried like hell at the thought of losing her..until tricycle drivers near Claret School took pity on us and pointed to a corner store where a brown dog was last seen. The store-owners were full of bad faith since they initially denied having Hannah, and deliberately tried to confuse our maid. They eventually let Hannah out of the bathroom where they were hiding her, but these people clearly wanted to dognap her. Hannah hated baths, but nevertheless endured the cold water and stood still until the whole dousing was all over for her. Even with her short fur, she stank up quite easily, so baths became a regular torture chamber for her. Another thing she hated were car rides. She gets car-sick you see, even for very short distances. We had to give her Bonamine for the travel from QC to Malate last year for the 2008 Pride March. This is something she and Jeni had in common..motion-sickness. There was another preference she shared with Jeni, her new mama - she absolutely loved chicken and daing na bangus. Hijo mio aka "destructo" and I loved our meat, on the other hand. She didnt care for dogfood much, and had a penchant for tablescraps. She never begged from the dinner table though, and was trained enough to wait for her own share.She was actually housetrained and had a routine - she needed to be let out every morning for her weewee and poopoo. At Tandang Sora, newspapers were readily available to her even with evening walks. At Kamias, she would asked to be let out to the garage. She clearly communicated this requirement to people by looking at you and heading for the door. if you were too stupid, she'd bark at you so you'd get it. But that was the limited barking you'd get from her. She rarely barked or howled but when she did, it was quite a racket. When she moved to Sta. Mesa with me, she hated being left alone the whole day. She scratched the door and spooked the neighbors with her howling. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Hijo Mio came to live with us too. For a while, she didn't mind the 3 floors of stairs to go walking. But I noticed that those regular walks took its toll on both of us, so we eventually stopped. Her exercise became limited to going up and down the stairs in our small apartment and running away from super-frenetic "destructo". So it was to her last days, she would greet us at the door when we get home from work, wait to be fed after we've eaten, quietly lie on her mat in her favorite corner while we watch DVD; even head up to the bedroom with us as soon as it was sleeping time."Be a good girl" translates to goodbyes to Hannah since that is what we always tell her when we leave to go to work everyday. I hope she is being good wherever she is now..

Holy See's Statement in NY

Repost from Sass of STRAP
After our panel discussion on 10 December 2009 , the Holy See read this comment:
Mr. Moderator,
Thank you for convening this panel discussion and for providing the opportunity to hear some very serious concerns raised this afternoon. My comments are more in the form of a statement rather than a question.
As stated during the debate of the General Assembly last year, the Holy See continues to oppose all grave violations of human rights against homosexual persons, such as the use of the death penalty, torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. The Holy See also opposes all forms of violence and unjust discrimination against homosexual persons, including discriminatory penal legislation which undermines the inherent dignity of the human person.
As raised by some of the panelists today, the murder and abuse of homosexual persons are to be confronted on all levels, especially when such violence is perpetrated by the State. While the Holy See’s position on the concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity remains well known, we continue to call on all States and individuals to respect the rights of all persons and to work to promote their inherent dignity and worth.
Thank you, Mr. Moderator.
ECOSOC Chamber, 10 December 2009, UN Headquarters, New York

After Comelec, Congress vs LGBTs

Solon seeks to criminalize same-sex unionBy GABRIEL S. MABUTASDecember 8, 2009, 6:24pm
A lawmaker called Tuesday for the enactment of a law that would criminalize same-sex union in the country, saying the absence of such measure might just invite same-sex couples to explore the possibility of getting married.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr. sought to penalize such marriage through House Bill 6919.
In making his proposal, Abante said such marriage should be discouraged by a criminalizing measure because it is “highly immoral, scandalous and detestable act.”
He said if such a union “becomes a reality in this part of the globe, that would snap the remaining strand of our moral values.”
Abante, chairman of the House committee on public information, said there is no specific provision in the Revised Penal Code penalizing a person for marrying another of the same gender, neither is there a provision penalizing a person for solemnizing the marriage of persons of the same gender.
“While there is no documented same-sex marriage yet in our country, the absence of clear legislation serves as an invitation to same-sex marriage,” Abante said.
Under the bill, violators faces 15 years of imprisonment and a fine of not more than P150,000.
The bill provides that anybody who misdeclares or hides his or her true sex or gender for the purpose of securing a marriage license faces a 12-year jail term and a fine of P100,000.
Likewise, the bill also seeks to punish any person who shall issue a marriage license, or who shall solemnize the marriage of persons of the same sex or gender with imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of not more than P100,000.
Under the bill, if the offender is a public officer, he or she shall be dismissed from employment and be barred from subsequent employment in any government office.
If the offender is authorized to solemnize marriage, his or her license or authority to solemnize marriage shall be revoked without need of further proceedings and shall be perpetually barred from solemnizing marriage.
It shall be the duty of the Local Civil Registrar and the solemnizing officer to first ascertain the true sex or gender of the parties before issuing a marriage license and solemnizing a marriage.
“Any marriage license issued, and any marriage solemnized, in violation of this measure shall be declared null and void,” Abante said.

Murphy's Law

It was a Thursday when I first got the news. I was in far away Tacloban and I bribed a kid at the field office to let me use the internet. The poor guy had to wait for me to finish till after office hours. I was so incensed by the decision that I had to get online.The grounds for denial were legally baseless even when they quoted sections of the Revised Penal Code. Clearly, it was "reaching" for something to grasp at. And I was taught all throughout my education at the premier State University that citing religious dogma was the weakest kind of legal argumentation. Evidently, prejudice and bigotry is now considered sound legal opinions. COMELEC is unapologetic for its homophobia and maintains that AngLadlad LGBT Party, Inc. should not be accredited as a partylist. The Commissioners themselves have proven that the LGBT sector satisfies the first requirement of Partylists, and that it is marginalized in society by one reason or another. That fact is incontestible; but horror of horrors, they rationalize this kind of discrimination as having some kind of justification - legal or otherwise!I never had faith in the COMELEC reversing itself. It is a Constitutional body that has been known to be ruled by money and manipulated by the powers-that-be, religious organizations included. Besides, appointees would never go against their "maker", right? These officials would never get off their high horses and admit they were wrong. But pride is a common fault. Government officials are not the only ones who forget why they are in their positions in the first place - and that is to serve the greater good. Sometimes people begin to think it is "all about them" and they badly need to be reminded whose interests they are really working for. Remember, pride isn't just about LGBT visibility..it is also a cardinal sin.

Comelec:Unapologetic for its Prejudice

MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections Chairman Jose Melo's tie-breaking vote ended the gay group Ang Ladlad's bid to be included in the party-list elections in May 2010.
Melo's vote broke the 3-3 tie of the Comelec en banc voting on the gay group's petition seeking to overturn the Comelec Second Division's ruling rejecting Ang Ladlad as a party on "moral grounds."
The Comelec's decision is final, which means Ang Ladlad may only appeal its case with the Supreme Court.
In a ruling dated November 11, the Comelec said that although the party presented proper documents and evidence for their accreditation, their petition is "dismissible on moral grounds."
Page 5 of the ruling states that Ang Ladlad's definition of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) sector as a marginalized and disadvantaged sector due to their sexual orientation "makes it crystal clear that the petitioner tolerates immorality which offends religious beliefs."
The Comelec ruling quotes passages from both the Bible and the Koran (taken from internet site www.bible.org) that describe homosexuality as "unseemly" or "transgressive."
The Comelec said accrediting Ang Ladlad would pose risks to the Filipino youth."Should this Commission grant the petition, we will be exposing our youth to an environment that does not conform to the teachings of our faith," the ruling stated

Departures

I've been dealing with a lot of "departures" lately. I mean in the real sense of departing, with friends and officemates leaving for greener pastures mostly. A longtime friend who never liked traveling in the first place suddenly uprooted herself to relocate and play housewife. Another good friend found himself growing up and needing to plan for his future family. And finally, my seeming protege on senior citizens issues, eventually grabbed an opportunity to further her elderly expertise.There is some degree of sadness - that feeling of having been left behind which I never really liked. I'm know I am "rotting" where I am right now, and I hate every minute I am forced to stay here. That is probably why I have begun thinking about making my own "escape" as well. Comfort Zones are never really good for you. You bask in the familiar never realizing you are slowly drying up your brain tissues. You lose your enthusiasm, your passion, and your creative juices no longer flow. As the saying goes, a rolling stone doesn't grow moss.I am heading for the Pre-Departure Area soon.

Everyday Bigotry

The recent events have finally jarred many LGBTs out of their complacency. COMELEC comes out with a truly homophobic decision that didnt just disqualify Ang Ladlad from being a partylist, but also judged all Filipino LGBTs as "immoral" and "a threat to the youth". Misquoting Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code, it equated being a homosexual to an obscene publication or an indecent show or exhibition; in short, "immoral" on the basis of "being contrary to good customs and morality." The essence of criminal law is that there must be an act or omission in the first place which is deemed illegal or is categorically defined as an offense. Following COMELEC's reasoning, LGBTs, by simply being themselves, and without necessarily doing anything, may now be considered unlawful. Tsk, tsk, tsk...and COMELEC is a government institution at that. Then comes, that reality TV show, Pinoy Big Brother which I never really liked. Besides being completely voyeuristic, it shows human beings at their worse. So those bigotted comments against a decent person like Rica, the resident transgender woman, are the lowest of the low. Sure, it probably raised ratings, increased viewership even and celfon networks made a bundle out of it again. But media, as a vital social agent, should consider what it reinforces in terms of prejudice. Will this TV show be allowed to perpetuate discrimination as if it's the acceptable behavior now? Is this really what we want to teach out Filipino youth - bigotry, homophobia, discrimination against others? Our youth has already responded to COMELEC's decision vs AngLadlad as shown by a survey made by the Phil Daily Inquirer. The feature was one for the books, with our young Filipinos giving COMELEC commissioners a piece of their mind. The same was true for our general public who wasted valuable celfone loads to vote off the rest of Rica's housemates. Philippine society seems to be making a point to homophobes everywhere - bigots have no place in this world....unlike sexual minorities.