Marriage, Money and Morals

The sequence of the words in the title of this post is random. Because I really am not sure under what sequence they should fall. But what drove me to think of writing about the 3M's? Eat Bulaga. I am an unabashed fan of the noontime TV show because the wit and camaraderie of the hosts perk me up when I have lunch by myself. Actually after I'm done eating, I can turn the TV off and just blog away or play Spider Solitaire.

So how and why did EB drive me to write about the 3M's?

I think in a previous blog, I wrote that a good number of participants in the show's various contests are single moms. Once in a while when the hosts probe deeper, they find out why. Months ago, when Joey interviewed one such contestant, she explained her predicament thus: "Na ano lang." So whenever Joey would find out a contestant was a single mom, he'd tease, "Biyuda ka ba, hiwalay o na ano lang?" Just a few weeks back, he increased the show's "lingo" by saying that there's the woman na "na ano lang" (and then broke off) and there's the woman na "nag-aanuhan sa di ka anu-ano" -- euphemism to living in.

A few minutes ago, they asked a contestant about her husband or something and she brazenly said "live in lang kami." And for a while, Joey said "libing"? But then he also turned serious and asked, "bakit di kayo nagpapakasal?" The woman answered, "Walang pera." Another contestant offered the same reason. She was on the same boat.

This is where the title of this post comes in. The issue is a matter of the 3Ms: it is a sociological issue as well as a moral issue. They claim they don't have money so they don't get married but in truth and in fact, by living in, they are living like married couples and have the same expenses as married couples have. So where lies the money issue?

Filipinos including those who fall within the lower/lowest category of the economic strata equate marriage with a wedding, as lavish as they could afford, complete with a wedding gown, lechon, the works. Which is why they say they don't have the money to get married. Wrong, they don't have money to spend for a wedding with all the works they imagine a wedding should have. so there.

Sad no?