http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20100114com4.html
One of the hottest topics of conversation these days (aside of course from director James Cameron’s science fiction opus Avatar), especially in the various kapihan groups, discussion circles and radio-TV talk shows that abound is this interesting proposal being championed by the progressive-minded women’s partylist group called 1-Ako Babaeng Astig Aasenso (1-ABAA) seeking to attach a 10-year “expiration date” to all marriage licenses being issued by the state.
1-ABAA officials’ rationale for their radical proposal, which most assuredly is going to be opposed by the Catholic Church, is so that incompatible couples won’t have to unnecessarily spend a ton of money for expensive legal proceedings to formally end their union, albeit a practical solution to an intricate and touchy problem.
By putting a cap on the effectivity of a marriage license that a man and a woman must secure to be able to legally tie the knot in accordance with existing laws, the 1-ABAA proponents hope to do away with the red tape attendant to such messy legal separation cases and spare the protagonists the aggravation of getting snagged in costly litigation, wherein only the lawyers profit, in the event they do decide to part ways.
Like the passports being issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs that have to be renewed in five years and the drivers’ licenses from the Land Transportation Office that have a life of only a year, 1-ABAA is suggesting a mandatory expiration period for marriage licenses whereupon the union will be rendered null and void, unless the parties involved opt for renewal.
According to 1-ABAA, by putting an expiration date on the licenses, this would give warring or unfulfilled couples the opportunity to simply walk away from their commitment to one another without having to undergo the nullification process that is so taxing, tiring and time-consuming, aside from being obliged to relive all their sad experiences for the judge to hear so he can determine if they are truly deserving of being granted legal separation.
But just like the divorce and reproductive health bills, both pro-poor measures that are currently in limbo in the legislature, the marriage bill of 1-ABAA will most probably be consigned to the backburner at least until the election period blows over as congressmen are fearful of incurring the ire of the Catholic Church and the negative political backlash that the priests and bishops are threatening to unleash on the unbelievers.
Probably the most innocuous pairing seeking the two highest elective positions in government in the fast-approaching 2010 elections is that of Sen. Dick Gordon and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando, both independent candidates who found themselves clinging to each other for dear life after they were bypassed as presidential standard bearers by their respective political parties, forcing them into forming the ragtag Bagumbayan party that, if the surveys are to be believed, is doing quite poorly among the electorate.
Gordon and Fernando, to say the least, are strange bedfellows having come from opposite sides of the political spectrum. The former, a leading light of the once-mighty Marcos-era Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) party, was hoping to become the presidential standard bearer of the Nacionalista Party but was bypassed in favor of Sen. Manny Villar whom they believed could run a more potent campaign with the billions he is believed to have at his disposal; while the latter was an out-and-out administration stalwart for so many years until he dared dream of becoming the administration’s presidential bet. He was utterly disappointed upon being rejected by Malacañang, despite being a loyal follower of Arroyo ever since she assumed power, in favor of their chosen champion former Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro.
Fernando, who had long entertained presidential ambitions, said it was he who had initiated moves in seeking out Gordon to convince him to run as HIS vice president, but in the end it was he who was prevailed upon by Gordon to slide down to the No. 2 spot.
The way it was explained, Fernando said he agreed to become Gordon’s running mate in Bagumbayan as the acknowledged Subic savior had a lot more political experience than he did. Both were highly-successful former small-town mayors (Gordon in Olongapo and Fernando in Marikina) who didn’t squander the mandate given to them by their respective constituents.
A friend of ours, newsman Ali Macabalang who is a provincial correspondent of the Manila Bulletin, was designated recently as the new public information officer of the ARMM. As such, he is responsible for looking after pesky reporters seeking to interview his boss, Gov. Ansarrudin Alonto Adiong, who was named as replacement for the disgraced Zaldy Uy Ampatuan in the aftermath of the Maguindanao massacre, as well as attending to all the publicity requirements of the local government unit.
Macabalang was the “sparring partner” of the late Bong Reblando, another Bulletin correspondent covering the Mindanao beat operating out of General Santos City, who was among 30 journalists to lose their lives at the hands of murderous gunmen allegedly led by Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Datu Unsay, Maguindanao last November 2009.
Macabalang can be considered, technically, a Maguindanao massacre “survivor” because normally he should have been with Reblando in the ill-starred Mangudadatu convoy that was intercepted by the thugs in Ampatuan town during that fateful Nov. 23 as they were known to be inseparable during press coverages. But, as the gods would have it, he wasn’t able to join up with his buddy Reblando, and because of this he escaped with his life.
No comments:
Post a Comment