LOS ANGELES
VOL. XXIII, NO. 22
JULY 4 - 10, 2015
THE LEADING SOURCE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR FILIPINO-AMERICANS
PHL lawmaker mulls same-sex marriage bill MANILA, June 30 (Mabuhay) – Akbayan party-list Rep. Barry Gutierrez said he will file a bill seeking to recognize same-sex marriages in the Philippines in the 17th Congress. For Gutierrez, the time has come for same-sex marriage to be discussed in the Philippines, especially in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the entire nation. Gutierrez made this announcement a day after Speaker Sonny Belmonte said Congress is not inclined to pass such a law anytime soon. “Malaking senyales yung nangyaring desisyon sa SC na kailangan simulan ang usapin sa bansa tungkol sa samesex marriage. Mahirap sa 16th Congress na magkaroon ng komprehensibong usapan pero definitely 17th Congress
tingin ko ma-agenda na ito,” he said. Gutierrez anticipates the bill to become as controversial as the Reproductive Health Law. “Nag-agree ako sa reasoning ng US SC that we cannot discriminate legal benefits ng marriage between same sex and heterosexual couples,” he said. “Kapag sinabing state recognition we’re not talking religious aspects you’re talking about legal benefits. If you look at US SC hinahabol lang niya lumabas ang pangalan sa death certificate ng late husband. That’s a legal question within purview of the state.” Gutierrez said only a thorough discussion will determine whether the predominantly Catholic Philippines is prepared for this. “Culturally that’s something that can be determined
though discussion. Tingin ko we’re in a much more tolerant society than we were ten years ago,” he said. Gutierrez said his bill might only be limited to state recognition of same-sex marriages. He said for obvious reasons, religious organizations won’t be compelled to recognize same-sex marriages. “No law can compel religious institutions to change beliefs. What the bill can do is allow for mechanism for the state to recognize,” he said. Gutierrez said all it will take is an amendment to the Family Code, disputing the argument of critics of samesex marriage that it may require an amendment to the Constitution. Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice admitted he is torn on the See LAWMAKERS, page 12
PHL Catholic Church stands firm vs gay marriage Manila, Philippines (AFP) Sunday 6/28/2015 – The leadership of the Philippines’ dominant Roman Catholic church stressed its opposition to legalizing gay marriage on Sunday despite last week’s landmark decision by the US Supreme Court. The Philippine government meanwhile affirmed that under its law, marriage is still between a man and a woman and only an act of Congress can change this, unlike in the United States. “The Church continues to maintain what it has always taught. Marriage is a permanent union of man and woman,” said
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, the president of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. “This is the way the Church has always read Sacred Scriptures. This is the way it has lived its faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit,” Villegas said in a statement on the group’s website. “We will continue to teach the sons and daughters of the Church that marriage... is an indissoluble bond of man and woman,” he stressed. However he also said that “the US Supreme Court decision will not go unheeded. See CATHOLIC, page 12
Although the leadership of the Philippines’ dominant Roman Catholic church said it opposes legalizing gay marriage, they also said that the US Supreme Court decision will not go unheeded. “We shall study it with assiduousness, and revisit our concepts and presuppositions.”
Chiz says PHL’s internet speed ‘pathetic’ Senator Chiz Escudero will look into the “pathetic state” of internet speed in the country to see how the government can address the situation and give the information technology (IT) sector a boost. “The current situation in the country is, sad to say, unacceptable. The state of internet speed is pathetic, and unless we remedy this situation, our IT sector is likely to suffer in the long term,” Escudero said. The senator, who just visited Los Angeles where he spoke during the 117th celebration of the Philippine Independence Day there, said the government, particularly the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC), should give the situation immediate attention. “The government should crack the whip on our telecommunications companies. If they have to be mandated to allocate some of their earnings for improving internet speed, mainly through investing in more equipment and hardware, then so be it,” Escudero said. “These telcos have been going to town in the past few years telling their shareholders that they have been earning billions of pesos. But they conveniently forget the millions of subscribers and users who put those billions in their coffers but who continue to suffer from poor service,” he
Senator Chiz Escudero speaks before Filipino-Americans celebrating the 117th anniversary of the Philippine Independence Day at Hilton Universal City here in Los Angeles. Photo: Joe Cobilla
added. “The point is, something needs to be done and done very soon.” The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said he is willing to spearhead legislation that would help improve the situation. “The problem is that government agencies that are supposed to monitor these See CHIZ SAYS, page 12
PHL halts repairs on Spratlys airstrip Manila, Philippines (AFP) Sunday 6/28/2015 – The Philippines has halted the repair of its airstrip in the disputed Spratly islands due to its pending suit at The Hague challenging China’s claim over the waters, a presidential spokesman said Sunday. The work on the airstrip on Thitu island, which the Philippines calls Pagasa and which hosts a small community, comes as China builds up outcroppings in the waters into islands that can host military facilities. “The repair has been stopped because we uphold the principle of keeping the status quo in the areas involved,” said President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Herminio Coloma. “This is part of our strategy for a rules-based and diplomatic approach where we have filed an arbitration case with the UN tribunal,” he added. The tiny airstrip on Pagasa had been largely used to bring in supplies for the small town that the Philippine government established there to stake its claim over part of the Spratlys. See AIRSTRIP, page 13