Ethics

Kim Romer R. Guadalquiver

The President running for Vice-President on the next Election

The current president of the Republic of the Philippines has been rumored to run for Vice
Presidency in the next National Election. If that's a fact, the Philippine Constitution does not
prohibit the president from doing so. This controversy raised a lot of criticisms from some
personalities and it also earned support from the pros. For me, I see this issue as a serious one for
it will have an impact, whether good or not so good, in the future administration. Ethically
speaking if the president will really run for vice presidency, in my perspective, I can say that this
is as an act of attachment to power and position and greed for authority but I can’t conclude
because I don’t know the intention of the current president, if it is for greater good of the country
or the other way around.
We can see the good factors that has been developed and improved by the current regime
but also, we have observed in the past years of his reign the human rights violation and morally
unlawful occasions that happened on his time. I'm not saying that it's all his fault, but I'm
insisting that he could be the one that takes the action of looking into the immoral and inhuman
treatment of justice and making it right. I can observe that he has the ability to lead but his
decision and action in facing some national issues lacks satisfaction, as we can observed in the
current situation of the pandemic in the country. I'm not judging the president's capabilities for
the vice presidency but I'm afraid of the indecisive events that can happen again if he sits in that
position, especially when the next president is on his side. I'm not forcing that president should
not run for the next election but I firmly stand that we need new leaders that treats justice
seriously and foster a morally upright society and a new way of getting into change that we want.
To end, all I say is that in this current situation we must practice power with morality and with
the care for human life, we must practice authority with proper ethics and as people of society we
must always consider the uprightness of our actions.
 Same Sex Marriage and Divorce

Same-sex marriage and divorce have been a long-debated topic in the society, especially
in the Philippines. Our country’s constitution prohibits these two profound issues as of now. But
there are some personalities and movements who are promoting and insisting a bill on same-sex
marriage and divorced to be legally accepted in the society. Of course, the Church tells us that
these are against the commandments of God and must not be legally accepted. Without relating
the Christian Church teachings, in my ordinary moral judgment, same-sex marriage and divorce
is really unlawful because it can affect different aspects of one’s life.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in different countries, and the LGBT community in
country is also insisting to be make legal this type of marriage. For me, it is really illicit making
same-sex marriage legal, because first of all we must respect the sanctity of marriage and we
must accept that woman is made for man and the other way around. Biologically speaking,
male’s body system and organs is compatibly design for female’s system, and so in that sense,
male is for female and female is for male. In my opinion, having relationship with the same sex
is a choice that must be respected but when it comes to the marriage, it must be dealt with serious
action and restriction. Whatever changes the world may get into, ethically speaking, same-sex
marriage is still unlawful in my own moral judgment as a person and it must be prohibited, but
anyways it is their choices and I’m just expressing my stand on this issue.
Divorce has been also legal in some big countries, especially the United States. Divorce
happens due to different factors in a couple’s relationship. Some married couples end up in
divorce because of violence and abuses, some because of adultery and mistresses, some because
misunderstanding, some because they could not feel the love anymore and many more particular
reason. For me, divorce is not really a solution to a blurry relationship, it can be resolve through
intimate communication. But if it is worst more than that, there can be a legal separation or an
annulment which is a process of considering marriage as null or void and it is granted when there
are enough reasons that marriage can be invalid. In my perspective, divorce is really unlawful for
it can easily broke a family and it can affect a child’s growth and development. Also, in respect
to the sanctity of marriage, especially Christian marriage, it is not proper to just file a divorce
indecisively because of some serious misunderstanding. That is why, speaking ethically, we must
consider divorce as not a morally upright solution for couples who are experiencing conflicts.
To end, my stand in this issue is both to prohibit these in making a legal law in the
country in order to preserve the respect and dignity of human life in the society even if it will
disappoint many people, but still we must always think and considers things morally, so that we
can live in a morally upright culture.

Covid Vaccination
 Last 2020 when the pandemic reached the country, aside from the virus spreading, fear
and worries also spread. Medical and Pharmaceutical Experts take immediate actions and
intentionally focused their time on researching, testing and producing the vaccines to fight
against this deadly corona virus. On the other hand, the Church composed its prayer against the
pandemic and a series of prayers flooded from the faithful. Earlier this year a series of vaccines
was safely evaluated and approved and was available in the market. Big countries immediately
got their vaccines from the pharmaceutical companies and started their mass vaccination, and
after how many months it reached the country. Many people voluntarily received the vaccines
but somehow majority refused to take it because from many rumors, including the gossip that the
vaccine will turn us into zombies and the reports of people dying due to taking vaccines but these
rumors were not scientifically proven to be factual. Also, some people are choosy on vaccine
brands and prefer a vaccine made by well-known pharmaceutical companies.
How ironic it is that in the time that when vaccines were not yet developed, we people
seriously prayed and anticipated for the vaccines to be developed immediately, and now that is
available some refused to take it. Of course, we are not forced to receive the vaccines, but before
we deny getting vaccinated, we must also think of the frontliners who are doing their best,
fulfilling their duty, sacrificing their family, and taking risk their own lives in order to fight
against this virus and receiving the vaccines is one of the best things to do in helping them.
This mass vaccination that we are having is the best way in coping with his Pandemic,
even though it is voluntary, we must get vaccinated not just for our sake but for the sake of our
family, peers, friends and others in general. Getting vaccinated is not just for us to be resilient in
the virus, but for me, getting vaccinated is our moral obligation and responsibility and it is the
right thing to do in order to help the government and the society in ending this Pandemic. The
agency tasked in this pandemic and the medical experts and personnel already did and still doing
their job and so, we also must do our part in handling this health crisis. Again, we are not forced
to take the vaccines but we must always choose to fulfill our moral obligations and responsibility
and not to be carried away by some false information so that we can attain the situation we’ve
been looking forward.