What’s More

 What is your stand on legalization of divorce in the Philippines?

"No to the Legalization of Divorce"

As a Grade 12 student, I recently learned that a motion has been filed in the
Philippines to legalize divorce. However, in the Philippines, where marriage is highly
valued as the foundation of Filipino society, divorce is a contentious issue that few
Filipinos want to discuss. This is especially true given that the Philippines is a
predominantly Catholic country that strongly believes in the sanctity of marriage, making
us, along with the Vatican, the only two countries that have yet to legalize divorce.

Divorce, on the other hand, has been shown to have a negative impact on the
children involved, particularly during the transition period as they deal with their parents'
separation. This can manifest in a variety of ways, including decreased social skills, a
proclivity for rage, and increased irritability. Furthermore, divorce does not protect or
promote children's mental and physical health because it is difficult to cope with one's
problems when one's family, their primary support system, is broken up.

Furthermore, the divorce may cause the child to lose faith in the concept of a
family entirely, which leads to yet another negative effect of this process. If divorce were
made legal, it would reinforce the notion that marriage is easily broken, which may lead
to people putting less effort into making it last and selecting the right partner. As a
result, the family is put in jeopardy and risks breaking up. Although legalizing divorce
can help many people get out of bad relationships, it can also diminish the value of
marriage. The Philippines cannot lose the sanctity of marriage because the majority of
Filipinos are Catholic and the family is important. Although legalizing divorce can save
many people from bad relationships, it can also diminish the value of marriage. Because
the majority of Filipinos are Catholic and the family is important in Philippine culture, the
Philippines cannot lose the sanctity of marriage.

As a result, I believe that divorce should not be legalized in our country for the
sake of the children's physical, psychological, and emotional well-being, as well as the
family's protection. We must continue to fight against the divorce bill's full passage. It is
not too late to take a stand in defense of the sanctity of marriages and Filipino families.
  What is your personal assessment on the leadership enactment of President
Rodrigo Duterte on resolving the health crisis of the Philippines?

“Tatay Digs”

From my perspective, President Duterte's leadership can be divisive among

Filipinos. Some may like him, while others may despise him. Based on my observations,
I believe he is the leader we truly require at this time. A hands-on and strict leader with
political will, his administration has accomplished far more than the previous one.
Furthermore, Duterte's leadership style is geared toward the common man; he speaks
simply and directly in order for Filipinos to understand; he actively promotes the fight
against drugs and criminality; against corruption; and cleans up the government.

During the pandemic, the President was caught dallying, and it cost the Filipinos
and us a very large sum of money to decide whether or not to close off the Philippines.
It appears that the government lacks the resources to construct additional temporary
medical facilities to accept infected patients, thereby alleviating the plight of nurses,
doctors, and other front-line workers fighting the disease. Furthermore, this event
exposes all of Philippine society's flaws. Furthermore, steps were taken, but a
combination of the Filipino people's lack of concern and discipline, multi-level
government corruption, and the government's inability to implement a solid and
sustained plan of action all contributed to the crisis's prolongation, much like shooting
one's own foot.

President Duterte, on the other hand, took the majority of the right steps, but they
were often out of sync. According to the adage, "a leader is only as good as his
followers," which means that some Filipinos are simply stubborn, defiant, timid, and
divided on what to do. What he did was insufficient; otherwise, the Philippines would not
have endured this 19-month crisis (pockets of communities are still under "cellular"
lockdown as of today).