Nov 12, 2009

Fuck the COMELEC!

The COMELEC denied the petition of Ang Ladlad to become a party-list organization representing the LGBT sector this coming 2010 elections. According to an 8-page resolution, COMELEC denied Ang Ladlad because it “tolerates immorality, which offends religious beliefs.” WTF?

See the following news articles for more info:

This makes me really mad! The COMELEC denied Ang Ladlad party-list accreditation back in 2007 supposedly for lack of evidence that Ang Ladlad’s membership was national in scope. I find that decision preposterous. But now that Ang Ladlad has proven that its mandate is nationwide, the COMELEC denied Ang Ladlad again due to “immorality.” Seriously? Is COMELEC now an agent of the Church/Islam? What happened to the principle of separation of church and state? And here’s the funny part, the COMELEC said that they “are not condemning the LGBT, but we cannot compromise the well-being of the greater number of our people, especially the youth.” Not condemning? That is essentially what they did when they said Ang Ladlad tolerates immorality.

Yes, homosexuality is considered immoral in Islam, but not to the Catholic Church. The Church considers homosexual behavior immoral, but not homosexuality per se (though I find the distinction to be stupid). Regardless of whether a couple of religions find homosexuality immoral or not, even if one is the majority faith of the population, the Philippine government, being a secular institution, has no business determining what is immoral or not especially on something that is not nearly universally held to be immoral, unlike, say, murder.

The COMELEC cited legal provisions in its decision, including the controversial Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code (which I talked about before). This only highlights the inherent legal ambiguity over the interpretation of the word “immoral.” And the COMELEC even had the gall to cite the Bible and the Qur’an in its resolution. How’s that for legal interpretation?

The nerve of the COMELEC! Their mandate is to manage the elections and to protect the ballot. Why are they overstepping their bounds? Morality? Isn’t it a more pertinent question of morality for COMELEC that there were corrupt people elected to the government? Isn’t it a question of morality that there is cheating in the elections (and which the COMELEC may have abetted)? Why not tackle that instead of using religious verses to legally argue denying Ang Ladlad’s party-list accreditation? Nowhere in the Party-List System Act (R.A. 7941) does it say that organizations may be rejected based on morality grounds!

Yes, I’m really, really angry about this.

6 comments:

rudeboy wrote on November 12, 2009 at 10:54 PM:

I'm surprised you still expect any shred of genuine decency or morality from this astoundingly bereft administration, Vince.

 
Anonymous wrote on November 12, 2009 at 10:56 PM:

Actually, nakakatawa ang dahilan ng comelec.

MORALITY

O, kamusta naman ang "Hello Garci"? Kamusta naman ang pangungurakot ng mga opisyales ng comelec?

Yan ang pamantayan nila ng moralidad.

Mga unutil!

Danton Remoto & AL FTW!

 
Jaytee wrote on November 13, 2009 at 10:59 AM:

informative post...

I couldn't have said it any better

We really do have incompetent officials... sigh

 
Unknown wrote on November 14, 2009 at 1:20 PM:

I gay, open and out, but I never support LADLAD, kung ako man taga comelec, ididinay ko rin yan grupong yan dahil wala namang maibubuti ito sa mga kabaklaan!

 
KalabawHao wrote on November 14, 2009 at 3:48 PM:

Reading some LGTB comments about COMELEC - Ang Ladlad issue. I'm not happy what the 3 commissioner words threw about it. DISCRIMINATION. Tingin ko tuloy sa COMELEC naging temple/sambahan na.

Not like in Developed countries especially the U.S. they given LGTB Community a lot of support. Sabagay di pa masyadong develop mga utak ng Government Officials natin kaya di nakakapag taka. Hello COMELEC? Hello Philippine Officials? 21st Century na.

 
Vince (Discreet Manila) wrote on November 15, 2009 at 7:05 AM:

rudeboy, I don't think the whole government is that corrupt. And while I don't fully trust the COMELEC (Hello, Garci!), I didn't think they would stoop this low and be incompetent in such a manner.

m2mtripper, tumpak!

Jaytee, thanks

vicente, if you don't like Ang Ladlad, then don't vote for them. But you must see that the COMELEC's decision applies to any gay group, even those that you deem good for the community. And for that, COMELEC must be opposed.

Harold, yes, the COMELEC decision is really a form of discrimination.