June, Divorce, Pride, and Disasters

In the month of June, as many wish, “please, be good to me.” But let us keep an eye on how much good this month could bring.

It is the sixth month of the year. Politically, it is a time of renewal. It marks the end of all legislative sessions, and by July, it reopens with a nationwide address by the president. This means that any meaningful legislation, such as the contentious Divorce Bill, must pass now or may not have another chance.

June is also Pride month, where commercial capitalist marketing often overshadows the real issues. Pedestrians and profile pictures may be adorned in ROYGVIBs, while the LGBTQIA+ community continues to suffer in silence.

June usually marks the first day of class, but as “people-pleasing” our government is adjusting it up to international calendars, we have seen how disastrous it was during the April and May heatwaves. And as climate change bears down upon us, June may bring further calamities.

This is a critical month for most Filipinos. Regarding the Divorce bill, this is no longer a time for religious and legal arguments; that time has passed. So, as a child of divorce, my opinion may not matter to you now.

If the Divorce bill truly matters, numbers are what matter most now. While the bill has overwhelmingly passed the Batasan, the numbers are still lacking to pass the Diokno Boulevard.

For the Divorce bill to pass, it needs at least 13 votes.

As of today, only seven (7) senators support it: Risa Hontiveros, Raffy Tulfo, Robin Padilla, Pia Cayetano, Imee Marcos, JV Ejercito, and Grace Poe.

There are also hardline oppositionists to the bill, such as the “religious” senators Joel Villanueva and Win Gatchalian, who both hail from pastoral clans. Senators Francis Tolentino and Cynthia Villar have also stated they will vote against it. Also likely to oppose it are the new Senate President Chiz Escudero and senators Miguel Zubiri, Jinggoy Estrada, Nancy Binay, Bato dela Rosa, and Alan Cayetano. This forms a hard line of ten (10) senators.

Probable swing votes could come from senators Sonny Angara and Bong Revilla.

Other senators who have not yet made any statement include senators Mark Villar, Bong Go, Lito Lapid, Koko Pimentel, and Loren Legarda. However, Pimentel and Legarda have signed the committee report on the Senate’s version of the Divorce bill. If a vote were to happen today, it would likely result in a 7-10-7 split.

But aside from Divorce, June is also a coloful opportune time for conversations of another important issue – gender equality.

As an ally, I am all-out to making this country safer for all members of LGBTQIA+ community. In fact, when I ran for vice mayor in 2022, I already started studying a possible localized version of SOGIESC equality and anti-discrimination ordinance to make sure that tomorrow would be another day to be safe to live as an LGBTQIA+.

While Pride continues to be exploited by capitalist marketing, we must not lose focus on what really matters—the important conversations about Pride remain crucial as long as members of the LGBTQIA+ community continue to face threats to their safety, and even death, due to discrimination and harassment. Moreover, we cannot overlook the numerous other challenges they encounter in schools and workplaces.

As of now, a national law protecting and promoting SOGIESC and safeguarding the LGBTQIA+ community from discrimination remains uncertain. With the upcoming 2025 senatorial elections, a change in the roster of the Senate and the House of Representatives must be observed keenly, as their new composition for the 20th Congress will determine the future of these legislations. Nevertheless, the LGBTQIA+ community must continue to organize, mobilize, and consider lobbying to localize these policies.

To all members of the LGBTQIA+ community, I stand with you as an ally in pursuing a tomorrow where you can all live beautifully as you are.

Moreover, as June strides, the last week of May has already sent us a premonition, a warning. Beyond rainbows and pride, we should expect more thunderstorms and stronger typhoons. After all the festivities from February to May, typical fiesta seasons across the country, I hope that most local governments still have enough funds for disaster response, relief, and recovery operations in the coming weeks. I hope that mayors did not deplete their bank accounts on concerts and pageants. Although disaster has its own fund—the LDRRM fund—I hope local executives begin reviewing their LDRRM inventories, assets, capacities, and operability now.

We have been doing this every year already. How have we still not learned our lessons?

When we pray for “June, please be good to me,” I hope we also mean to be good with June—by counting, making more noise, shaking our senators’ offices, creating safe spaces for our friends, respecting others, celebrating love, stocking up for our kitchens, preparing our survival essentials, and identifying vulnerable spots in our homes, reporting potential danger zones, and coordinating with local authorities.

We are literally halfway through the year.

We can do this, June!