Independence Day @Ecopark

i.With just my wandering thoughts leading me My steps brought me here To the greenery and the flowing waters To where it all began ii. Here underneath tall trees and gentle breezes We began an adventure meant only for the strong of heart You took to this journey w/ all the gusto and enthusiasm That you rode the zipline with across the stream iii. I remember the boatride, All the effort I put into rowing that little dingy As you cheered on others who took the plunge Love overflowing, your emotions echoed through the watershed iv. but it had to come to this like trees felled after the passing of storms some relationships break in the midst of troubles creeks once driven by rushing waters can dry up and become as barren and empty as a feeling devoid of affection v. and we find out that flowers lose their bloom with the passing of every summer the rains come and we are left hiding indoors in the misery of our loss vi. yet we know that soon the deluge of tears will eventually cease and we shall venture out again to a completely different world vii. thicker vegetation, a variety of plants promising to bloom and bear fruit, where colourful flowers will once again line the walkways and paint the scenery with happiness viii. as I turn to leave, imprinting in my memory the beauty of this place, like the passing of the seasons, I know this heart too will endure.. GPL 6/12/2012

R-Rights Asks PNoy to Improve LGBT Rights

MANILA - LESBIAN, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocates led by the Rainbow Rights Project (R-Rights) are reminding the Aquino administration of the pending review before the United Nations of its record in respecting human rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity. On May 28, 2012, the UN Human Rights Council is set to cross-examine all the compliance by the Philippine government of international human rights conventions, including those that apply to LGBT sectors in the process called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Both the government and civil society organizations have submitted separate reports. In its report titled “The Status of LGBT Rights in the Philippines, Submission to the Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review 13th Session,” the groups Rainbow Rights Project (R-Rights) and the Philippine LGBT Hate Crime Watch (HCW) submitted a long list of violations of human rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In March 2012, the Rainbow Rights Project, represented by policy advocacy officer Germaine Trittle Leonin, has made several representations with the UN Human Rights Council based in Geneva and worked with the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) while seeking to engage the Philippines official representative to act on the reports. The R-Rights-HCW joint report scored the failure of government to enact and Antidiscrimination Law, which has remained pending in Congress for over 12 years. The report also noted the Supreme Court ruling against the rights of transgenders to have their identities changed in birth and travel documents. Leonin said the R-Rights report also highlighted the lack of basic health care for LGBTs and certain medical abuses inflicted on transgender clients. “Sadly, despite efforts by civil society groups, the government representative in Geneva has not made significant efforts to incorporate our recommendations in the discussions for this month,” Leonin said. In a related development, during Adoption Consciousness Week in March, officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have already declared that while single gays are not prohibited from adopting, same-sex couples are not permitted to jointly adopt children, as the right is provided only for legally married partners. Some DSWD officials have also expressed support for LGBTs being adoptive parents reasoning that there is no proof that LGBTs cannot be good parents. However, the community is still requesting for a more definite policy that would protect the rights of adoptive gay parents. R-Rights is also organizing a dialogue with the Office of the President this month after a massive raid on a gay sauna in Pasay City left many gay male clients traumatized. R-Rights said it has been providing legal aid to hundreds of gay men who are brutalized by police in bar raids and street sweeps. R-Rights is calling on the Philippine National Police to work with the community in preventing abusive behavior, extortion, and harassment in these instances. The UPR is a process where the Council examines each member state for its implementation of human rights treaties. The review this month is the second time the Philippines will come under the examination of the Council. R-Rights will continue to engage the Philippine government until the Aquino administration and Congress will finally comply with the UPR process and issue the necessary laws and policies recommended for the LGBT sector