The National Territory

My chinky eyes shed tears whenever we were being tasked by our grade school mentors to sing:

PILIPINAS KONG MAHAL

(Tagalog)
Ang bayan ko'y tanging ikaw
Pilipinas Kong Mahal
Ang puso ko at buhay man
Sa iyo'y ibibigay

Tungkulin kong gagampanan
na lagi kang paglingkuran
Ang laya mo'y babantayan
Pilipinas kong Hirang...

(English, singing translation)
My Beloved Philippines

I love my own native land
Philippines, my Philippines
To thee I give my heart and hand
Philippines, my Philippines.
the trees that crown thy mountains grand,
the seas that beat upon thy strand
Awake my heart to thy command,
Philippines, my Philippines...

It is not the National Anthem “Lupang Hinirang” that has been stuck in my patriotic soul. Needless to say, I love the Philippines and my brown skin even though, at times, I am quiet fascinated with Caucasian look.

Incidentally, I believe that every Filipino, whether natural-born or naturalized must have a deep sense of appreciation for the components of the national territory of the Philippines. We should also take to heart that God had decreed the history (times) and boundaries (exact places) for all nations.

Acts 17:26

²⁶From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

And Article I of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides as follows:

The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas. The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.

The 1^st sentence refers to terrestrial, fluvial, and aerial domains that are under the State’s sovereignty which means that ALL who live and sojourn in Philippine territory, regardless of the nationality, shall be subject to its laws and jurisdiction with the exception of heads of states and diplomatic representatives by virtue of the customary of nations.

Terrestrial domain is the land mass;

Fluvial and maritime domain is the inland and external waters; and

Aerial domain is the airspace above the land and water.

While the territorial sea which is a belt of coastal waters extending at most twelve nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal state, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas, are under jurisdiction only meaning foreign ships (both military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it. The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) set the 200 mile EEZ limit as the boundary of the Continental shelf for seabed and subsoil exploration.

The 2^nd sentence is an affirmation of the Achipelago doctrine that the entire archipelago is regarded as one integrated unit via the connection of the outermost points of our archipelago with straight baselines and consider all the waters enclosed thereby as internal waters over which the state has complete jurisdiction: not even innocent passage is allowed.

The definition in Article 1 now covers the following territories:

1. Those ceded to the United States by virtue of the Treaty of Paris of December 10, 1898 wherein U.S. paid the Spain $20 million.
2. Those defined in the treaty concluded between the U.S. and Spain on Nov. 7, 1900 which were not defined in the treaty of Paris, specifically the islands of Cagayan, Sulu and Sibuto.
3. Those defined in the treaty concluded on Jan. 02, 1930, between the U.S. and Great Britain specifically the Turtle and Mangsee islands.
4. The island of Batanes, which was covered under a general statement in the 1935 Constitution.
5. Those contemplated in the phrase “belonging to the Philippines by historic right or legal title” in the 1973 Constitution.

Concept of Marriage

"Marriage is 100% commitment to a DEFECTIVE individual."
- George MacDonald-

Hundreds of thousands of singles just like me are longing to get married. But before considering marriage, it is indispensable to have a better understanding of its concept and the marriage per se.

Article 1. of THE FAMILY CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES defines marriage as:

“Marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life. It is the foundation of the family and an inviolable social institution whose nature, consequences, and incidents are governed by law and not subject to stipulation, except that marriage settlements may fix the property relations during the marriage within the limits provided by this Code.”

Now, let us scrutinize the aforementioned provision of the law that defines a VALID marriage as:

1. A special contract

- it is not an ordinary contract, that means parties cannot stipulate terms and conditions except in their property relations e.g. Pre-nuptial Agreement, etc. because their rights and duties are fixed by law. Hence, the law prescribes penal and civil sanctions for breach of the obligations of husband and wife.

2. Permanent

- the parties cannot simply terminate it without legitimate grounds. Philippine jurisprudence contemplates that any doubt should be resolved in favor of the existence and continuation of the marriage and against its dissolution.

3. Between a Man and Woman

- The sex of the parties must be Male and Female because procreation of children through sexual cooperation (a marital obligation) is the basic end of marriage. Hence, same sex-marriage is an absolute taboo.

4. In accordance with law

- The contracting parties must comply with the essential and formal requisites provided by The Family Code.

5. For the establishment of conjugal and family life

- A mutual promise to live together in the relationship of Husband and Wife in law for life.

6. Foundation of the Family

- Marriage preserves the family unit.

7. Inviolable Social Institution

- marriage has been viewed as vital to the preservation of morals and civilization.

8. Governed by law and NOT subject to stipulation

- It is the law that has the sovereign authority over the marital conflicts and obligations thus, the parties cannot stipulate the terms and conditions except the property relationships e.g. Pre-nuptial Agreement, etc.

Is the Family Code of the Philippines in conformity with the biblical principles of marriage?

*YES.

The Bible says in Genesis 2:24-25:

“²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. ²⁵ The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.’

1. A special contract

- The contracting parties in an ordinary contract do not become one flesh since it is merely a meeting of minds.

2. Permanent

- Romans 7: 2

²For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.

- Marriage is a covenant with God; a lifetime commitment to ONE person.

- Malachi 2:16 ¹⁶ "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel.

- Matthew :32 ³²But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

3. Between a Man and Woman

- Genesis 2:22

“²² Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib ^[i] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

- When God created a partner for Adam He created Eve - not another Adam. Apparently, God had intended the human race to be fulfilled through heterosexual marriage only, (a union between male and female) because it corresponds to the design of our bodies and because it is the normal means by which offspring are created.

4. In accordance with law

- Marriage must be in accordance with the biblical standards. The whole chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians provides essential principles for eternal marriage.

5. For the establishment of conjugal and family life

- Procreation is part of God's plan (Genesis chapters 1 and 2).

6. Foundation of the Family

Genesis 2:8

^“8 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

- God’s ideal for family is participation of both mother and father in the procreation and raising of children.

7. Inviolable Social Institution

- Marriage must be a community of life.

8. Governed by law and NOT subject to stipulation

- The bible says we must submit to the authority of men.

Hebrews 13: 17

^“17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.”

The Law of God is My Delight

Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the man…..

² (whose) delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

DELIGHT means something or someone that provides a source of happiness; "a joy to behold".

In the of the book of Psalm we can reap many benefits of delighting in the law of God.

Psalm 119:24, 105

²⁴ Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.

Jewish and Muslim traditions posit that the Psalms are the work of David (seventy-three Psalms are with David's name), for which reason, it is known as the Song of David. He is known as The Man After God’s Heart. David did delight in the law of God, because the law of God is within his heart. He delights in the law, and the law is delighted in by him.

Romans 7:22

²²For in my inner being I delight in God's law;

By inner being, we understand that it is the hidden man of the heart, the “Christ is in you”. Hence, it is a spiritual delight or an abiding delight that we Christian must take in the law of God. His statutes must be in our hearts in order to be engaged in the obedience that the law requires. Putting His law into our hearts denotes that we truly love God for we are willing to know and obey His commandments.

William Burkitt said: “To delight in the law of God is to love for its purity and spiritually, because it makes holiness our duty; to take pleasure in the knowledge of the law, in meditating upon it, and in practicing every good duty contained in it, and enjoined by it.” - where this is lex in corde, there will be cor in lege.