We're losing to women

Two news items in yesterday's papers gave me optimism.

One was the news item that said the Ombudsman filed a case at the Sandiganbayan against the President's first Justice Secretary Hernando Perez for graft and corruption. And the other was a news item that said the President will veto the legislated wage increase.

If the President keeps on being uncompromising against grafters and pays attention to the economy of the country, her party will be unbeatable in this year's election.

And if she stays the course, why, at the end of her term, she might come out to be the best President we have ever had if we have a better Constitution, a better economy, and no more insurgency.

***

On my item yesterday, I found out former police chief Col. Vic Ponteras has very many supporters among those close to me. I thought he had given up the bid because he was not heard anymore.

If he decides to run, he'll give the other contenders a run for their money.

So, we will have now five contenders, Leonardia, Ponteras, Tan, Valdez and Verdeflor.

***

I would like to write more about these when certificates of candidacy are filed. At this time, things still look hazy.

Meanwhile, I would like to discuss the forthcoming law called the Marital Infidelity Bill.

When this becomes a law, we men will soon be losing our age-old advantage. With the law on violence against women and children plus that on sexual harassment, men should now shout, "Help!"

Soon the U.S. may have a lady president. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is preparing for it. Much later perhaps Speaker Nancy Pelosi may try her hand. And many other countries are fast having women chief executives.

Women have gone a long way from the early times when they fought for the right of suffrage. And their faith in a female God sustained them.

***

There are many anecdotes about the suffragettes. One of them was in London in the early years, police apprehended the unruly women demonstrators and put them in jail.

An elderly suffragette heard a young co-demonstrator sobbing in another cubicle separated by a temporary divider. She knocked at the divider and said, "Don't worry, Dear. God will help us. She is very supportive of us."

Sex icons Brigette Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe got what they wanted. And men gave way. A story was told by Marilyn Monroe herself. When baseball star Joe Dimaggio, a devout Italian-American Catholic married her, his parents complained that MM has a very bad behind.

MM said, Dimaggio answered his family, "But I am after her front."

***

When the Marital Infidelity bill will be made into law, this will correct many errors. Presently on marital infidelity there are the adultery and concubinage. The first is a crime when a woman has a sexual intercourse with a man other than her husband and the latter is when a man has other than his wife.

There is unfairness here that even we, men must recognize.

A woman commits adultery and will be punished, even for just a single act of infidelity. But married men can only be liable criminally if they keep their mistresses in the conjugal dwelling or have sexual intercourse with a woman, other than his wife under scandalous circumstances.

There is the double standard.

***

That's not all. Under the law, when a woman is convicted of adultery, she can face a prison term ranging from two years, four months and one day to six years.

On the other hand, a man facing a concubinage charge will be favored with many things. If convicted, the imprisonment ranges only from six months and one day to two years and eleven months.

In addition, a man or his mistress, convicted of concubinage may not even be meted imprisonment.

On the contrary, they will be barred from going near the residence of the legal wife to protect him and his mistress from the wrath of the legal wife. This is called "distiero."

The dice is loaded in favor of a philandering spouse. Which I myself believe is unfair.

This is understandable. When our law was passed creating a Revised Penal Code in the 30s most, if not all of our lawmakers, were men.

***

Our big problem is in the campaign without letup by the women to assert more rights for women and not for men.

There is that sexual harassment. Remember that Comelec Commissioner who got the monicker as the Kissing Lolo for kissing another commissioner, a lady? It was a big issue.

Kissing a woman without her consent, even just touching her or uttering some words can be sexual harassment.

Must men ask for the same rights? No! I am not in favor.

Seduction takes many forms. A man, to be a real man, must know the proper way to react. One of these is not to complain publicly. Otherwise, the table will be turned on him for having been the one to have done the sexual harassment.*

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