The Lower House/House of Representatives is running a poll to supposedly get the pulse of the Filipino people on same-sex unions.
The poll – which is available on the site of the House of Representatives – asks: “Are you in favor of the proposal in the House of Representatives which legalizes same-sex unions as civil partnership in the country?”
Three choices are given to those who answer the poll.
Yes, because this will give equal civil rights to same-sex couples. The bill provides such couples with legal partnership status that will govern their property rights, custodial rights over children and adoption rights.
No, because the underlying intention is to legalize marriage between members of the same sex and I personally believe this is wrong.
And “I am undecided.”
The same poll, however, has a disclaimer, stating that it does not “purport to reflect the opinions, inclinations, or views of the House of Representatives as a whole, including its Members and employees. Any proposed bill or measure featured in such poll does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the leadership of the House of Representatives and its Members concerning its passage but rather to forment public discussion in aid of potential legislation.”
According to Michael David Tan, editor of Outrage Magazine, there are two issues worth highlighting here.
First, the poll is asking about civil partnerships, not marriage equality. “This basically advocates the “equal but not equal narrative,” he said.
Second, “getting the perspective of the people may be a good step in identifying what needs to be done by those in Congress. However – and this has to be stressed – what’s popular or not may not be what’s apt,” Tan said. “In the case of promoting equality, waiting for it to be ‘popular’ before acting on it is erroneous; politicians should do what’s right whether this is popular or not. You do it because it’s what’s right. You do not wait for equality to be popular before legislating it.”
All the same, for those keen to vote YES, visit the site of the House of Representatives.
