Voting with Purpose EDITORIAL

The Double Standard in Valuing Virginity

STEFAN SALDON | Writer, tWS

I have always enjoyed reading Filipino romance books. When you read, you also can’t help but notice that apart from the other factors that influence a book— or any form of entertainment for that matter—there are cultural identities that linger. When I read Filipino romance novels, I notice that apart from Filipino jokes and references, there are also Filipinobased social constructs present in the text. I believe this is necessary, especially when targeting a certain audience, as it allows them to feel a sense of familiarity.

despite the male lead also being a sexually active person.

Exhibit C: Readers in the comment section voicing out their disappointment because the male lead isn’t the female lead’s “first,” without any questions asked whether the female lead is also the male lead’s “first.” the idea becomes unacceptable, and society expects the woman to be taught and reminded of the essence of protecting her “pagkababae [femininity].”

This flawed idea is heavily spread in the country, and even up to this day, where the present is in a continuous shift to modernization, this perception is still alive—in real-life settings, in television shows, and even in romance books.

With Silliman University Student Government (SUSG) elections just around the corner, it is essential that we, as a student body, take the time to evaluate the candidates running for office as well as the current student leaders.

Student leaders have a tremendous impact on campus life, from organizing events and activities to advocating for policies that affect the students’ Silliman experience. They represent the student body in meetings with the SU administration and are responsible for making sure their voices are heard.

A recent opportunity for students to partake in evaluating student leaders was a survey conducted by the SUSG Students’ Rights and Welfare Committee to gather feedback on conducting a separate survey to “assess the effectiveness of the college governors and identifying areas where improvements can be made.”

As students, we owe it to ourselves to make informed decisions about who we want to lead us.

Being informed means taking the time to research the candidates’ platforms and track records. It is important to know what they stand for, what their priorities are, and how they plan to achieve their goals.

Voting for the most popular candidates or for the party with an appealing campaign while being uninformed demeans one’s right to vote. Critical thinking and research skills need to be utilized in deciding which individuals have the skills and the dedication to do their jobs, and do them right.

Evaluating the candidates also means asking tough questions. Students should be willing to challenge their ideas and ask for clarification on their positions. It is only by engaging in a dialogue with the candidates that we can get a sense of who they are and what they stand for.

We from the Weekly Sillimanian believe that voting is not the end of our responsibility as students. Once leaders are elected, they need to be held accountable. This includes attending meetings and events and providing feedback on their performance. Now more than ever, it is crucial to assess the individuals whom we entrust our present and future to, and to continue to create and push for constructive criticism and evaluation so that elected officials hold true to their campaign promises.

SUSG elections are an essential part of college life and should be taken seriously. By being informed and evaluating the candidates, we can ensure that we are choosing the right people to lead us, thus, ensuring that we are taking an active role in shaping our college experience. tWS

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“ Jeepneys are not only synonymous with our tradition but also with our transportation. Removing these vehicles will not only hurt the tradition of our country but also its people. The Jeepney Modernization Program was made to modernize jeeps not to phase them out. The removal of jeepneys will sting but its pros further outweigh its cons. The only problem it has is the way it is being implemented, if the government wants the people to cooperate then it should help its people, not fight it.”

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Filipinos, both culturally and socially, have been “conservative” people. Virginity, for example, is valued heavily. Now, this wouldn’t be a problem if one values his or her virginity. But what makes this concept a flaw among Filipinos (and perhaps even in other parts of the world) is the double standard present and the misogynistic and patriarchal tendency in the perception of this value that shoves this notion only towards women.

Let’s go back to the romance book statement and associate it with valuing virginity based on my personal experience as a reader.

Exhibit A: A sexually active male lead and an innocent virgin female lead as a common pair in Filipino romance books

Now let’s move on and see the lack of the audience’s familiarity when reading a romance book because it doesn’t line up with what they were taught about valuing virginity.

Exhibit B: Readers who refuse to read a particular book because the female lead is a sexually active woman, and yet these are the same readers who are hyping another romance book

In a 2018 study of the “Valuation of Women’s Virginity in the Philippines,” results show that 60 percent of respondents said that a woman being a virgin until she gets married is very important. On a qualitative account of this study, male participants reasoned the importance of women’s virginity as a gift offered to men. Meanwhile, female participants expressed concern about their husband’s opinions when one is not a virgin anymore.

The problem with these statements is the words “gift” and “husband,” because the highlighted idea is basically “to please their husband,” a statement we don’t often hear said the other way around.

Around 66 percent of women disapprove of men having sex before marriage, and only less than half of men (45 percent) also feel the same. With the interviews conducted, results show that men being virgins are ridiculed and considered shameful in contrast to a woman’s virginity, which is highly valued.

When we hear about men who are sexually driven and active, one of the overused excuses for their behavior is that they are: “Lalake man gud [It’s because he’s a man],” or “Natural ra na kay lalake man [It’s natural because he’s a man].”

It seems that society itself is obliged to adjust to a man’s “natural” behavior. Whereas when it is a sexually driven woman,

Habakkuk's Complaints and Our Cry for Justice

PAEAN DYREE TARIPE | Master of Divinity - Junior

In light of the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo on March 4, 2023, and the continuing impunity and merciless killing not only in the province but even across the country, this reminds us of the time of Judah when the city of Jerusalem was finally captured by Babylon where corruption, political instability, and violence ruled over. This happened years after the sudden and untimely demise of King Josiah who was considered to be the best of the very best among the kings of Judah.

Witnessing all of these at that time was the prophet Habbakuk whose own book begins with a series of gut-level complaints to the Lord and demands immediate answers to the injustices beholding before him. His cry could also be similar to us as recorded in the following verses:

Habakkuk 1:2-3 says, “How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and clamorous discord.”

God responded to Habakkuk’s cry for justice in verse 5, “Look over the nations and see, and be utterly amazed! For a work is being done in your days that you would not have believed, were it told.”

Unsatisfied with God’s “vague” response, Habakkuk then replied as if intending to put God into a corner within his own traditional faith understanding in verse 13. “Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil, and the sight of misery you cannot endure. Why, then, do you gaze on the faithful in silence while the wicked man devours one more just than himself?”

Like Habakkuk, we are already fed up with the unresolved killings and impunity in our country; like the prophet, we cry for justice and we question God who is supposed to reward the righteous and punish the wicked automatically. In his earnest longing for an answer from the Lord, he declared that he will keep on waiting for the divine reply at the guard post.

Habakkuk 2:1 states, “I will stand at my guard post, and station myself upon the rampart, and keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint.”

For Habakkuk, the guard post became a symbol of waiting for the answer of the Lord to his own question of meaning and faith, then the Lord replied to the prophet, saying, “Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, and it will not be late. The rash man has no integrity; but the just man, because of his faith, shall live.”

This biased concept frustrates me because of how completely idiotic and baffling it is. A woman shouldn’t be confined within a ridiculous societal expectation when the other gender is free and isn’t heavily guarded with the same notion. If you expect a woman to value her virginity, why can’t the same assumption be made about men?

More importantly, degradation is another factor associated when a woman does break this “value.” It seems that a woman’s worth is questioned and even looked down on, whereas a man who breaks the same value remains unaffected.

To end this, I must say again that I don’t have any problem whatsoever with both men and women who do value their virginity, and I completely respect if one does wait until marriage. My rants and opinions are only aimed at the unbiased and visible double standard of valuing virginity. I say, if you let a man roam around breaking this value without any consequences, I believe women should be allowed to do the same. And I say, when women are expected to value their virginity, I assume this applies to men as well. Degrading a woman just because she failed to value her virginity or shaming a man just because he is still a virgin is not the kind of society that I want to live in, and it is surely not the type of community I expect to progress.

It is in this theme of faithful, righteous waiting for the completion of the work of God despite the terrible times that Habakkuk makes his greatest contribution to the prophetic tradition of Israel and was not lost even during the time of Jesus and the beginnings of the church as developed by the Apostle Paul and the Protestant reformers later on.

In conclusion, Habakkuk becomes a source of one of the most profound expressions of a faithful response to a faithshattering reality—a reality that shocked the people of Negros Oriental and a reality that will forever scar the province. As we still process these faith-shattering realities, we send out, as one Silliman community, our sincerest condolences to the family of the late Governor Roel RagayDegamo, a Sillimanian, and the families of the 5 other victims who died together with him.

Let this passage in Habakkuk 3:17-19 strengthen and comfort us that even in the midst of apparent hopelessness and barrenness, there is a stubborn hope and rejoicing in the Lord: “For though the fig tree blossom not nor fruit be on the vines, though the yield of the olive fail and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God. My Lord is my strength; he makes my feet swift as those of hinds and enables me to go upon the heights.”

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Graphic Artist Rainne C. Nocete Julianne Rissa P. Gabriel Layout Artist Jarixa E. Balbuena Adviser Winona Jane C. Agir the Weekly Sillimanian is published every week by the students of Silliman University, with editorial and business addresses at 1/F Oriental Hall, Silliman University, Hibbard Avenue, Dumaguete City 6200, Philippines, SU PO Box 24. Telephone number (35) 422-6002 loc. 243. www.facebook.com/tWSillimanian weeklysillimanian@su.edu.ph

Opinions expressed in the columns are those of the columnists and not of tWS or of Silliman University. Comments, questions, and suggestions are highly appreciated. All submitted manuscripts become the property of tWS. Manuscripts will be edited for brevity and clarity.