Baguio to declare married LGBTs 'unwelcome'
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - Baguio City officials plan to declare persona non grata or "unwelcome persons" the 8 gay and lesbian couples who got "married" in the city last Saturday.
The city council will investigate the wedding ceremony on Monday and identify those who took part in it, according to Councilor Richard Cariño.
The results of the probe will determine if those who got married will be declared persona non grata, he added.
"Ang basis natin para gawing persona non grata ang isang tao ay kung may nilabag silang batas, sagabal sila, kontra sa prinsipyo at ordinansa at oppressive ang kanilang ginawa o ginagawa sa paningin ng mga tao," Cariño said. "Kaya we have to investigate kung yung ginawang pagpapakasal ay oppressive sa community ng Baguio."
Another city councilor, Edison Bilog, supported Cariño's proposal.
Happy couple
Despite receiving flak, couple Bhaya dela Cruz and Shielo Sabaot said they are happy with their wedding.
They said their family and friends were also elated with their decision.
"Bahala na sila kung ikukulong kami kung may mali ba ... kung may maifi-file sila," dela Cruz said.
"Wala namang kaming ginawang masama basta mahal ninyo ang dalawa," said Sabaot.
A lawyer, meanwhile, said the weddings are not legal and those who took part in it can't write on official documents that they are already married.
Possible charges
The couples who got wed and those who officiated the ceremony also face raps, said lawyer Edgar Avila.
One of the 4 pastors who wed the couples, meanwhile, challenged religious leaders and city officials.
"We dare them to do that [file charges]," said Myke Sotero, pastor of the Metropolitan community church in Baguio.
He said they did nothing wrong and the wedding celebrated the love between people.
Sotero said the government should support weddings between gay and lesbian couples.
His statement drew an angry response from Bishop Carlito Cenzon of the diocese of Baguio.
"They say they are evangelical pero they are doing things against the church. They are making bad image [out of] the church," he said.
Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, meanwhile, stood firm in their stand to continue with the same-sex weddings in other parts of the country. - Report from Ada Sibayan, ABS-CBN News North Luzon
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Unbelievable
Unbelievable! Ludicrous! Pathetic! Appaling! If a local government is a perpetuator of discrimination, where do we belong in the civilized world? Tit for tat, the local officials of Baguio should be denied visas in countries with cities that support gay marriage: US, Canada, EEC, and the UK. It is time for the LGBT community to use its pink peso power. Do not support Baguio tourism. The ad agencies should boycott conventions in Baguio. Let us see who cries for help.
Cities of the plain
The night before the distruction of Sodom together with other 4 cities (Gommorah, Admah, Zeboyim and Bela)the men of Sodom tried to rape the angels. That is where we got the word "sodomy". The God of Israel abhores homosexual acts as mentioned by St.Paul in the book of Roman`s. Sige lang kayo, you'll see the fruit of these acts sooner not later...
They did the same thing with the aetas
The aetas used to dominate the Philippines until they were declared persona non grata by the Bornean and Indonsian invaders who took away their land.
The Borneans and Indonesians eventually became the dominant ethnic group in the Philippines, replacing the aboriginals.
Such cruel acts, of cou2rse, are reciprocated with karma, which is why the Philippines continues to suffer in misery.
FREEDOM OF RELIGION
May freedom of religion po sa Pilipinas! Hindi po tama na iimpose ng CBCP ang kanilang relihiyon sa ibang tao, hindi naman po lahat ng nakatira sa Pilipinas ay Katoliko!
it's not about religion, it's
it's not about religion, it's about the truth!
Kung hindi ka katoliko at aprob ka sa ganitong gawain, ano ka?
kasi mas lalong against dito ang Muslim at Christiano (evangelical churches), ang mga walang pinaniniwalaang Dios lang ang may sikmura na gawin ito!
Read your Bible and know what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah when they are having these practices... para may alam ka rin about the Truth!