NO TO MULTICULTURALISM. YES TO INTEGRATION.

Something that needs to be emphasized and remembered is that the Philippines is not governed by or bound under a religion.

Despite our Constitution, historically and by philosophical design, having inherently JudeoChristian concepts built into it, the same cannot be said as advancing or promoting Christianity.

Instead, what unites this nation is a common set of political values, founded on the premise that “all men are created equal,” that men are rational creatures, imbued with an inherent dignity and possessed of universal rights.

And since we are all individuals of free will, we created a governmental system of self- rule. Hence, our political system is bottom-up, not top-down.

Our public officials derive their power not from god but from (and hence accountable to) the people. We are not a theocracy. We intentionally displaced theology from our constitutional/political system and, instead, deliberately put reason at the heart of it.

As far as rights are concerned, Filipinos are wont to declare such as part of our identity: the right to free expression, the right to the free exercise of religion, the right to assemble, equality and due process, and so on and so forth.

The Philippines therefore welcomes a diversity of beliefs and culture.

But there must be necessarily ( logically) a minimum unifying tie to this country and such is found in the adherence to a common political system, values, and universal rights.

We should all believe, for example, that women have equal rights with men. In fact, it should be a matter of pride for us that the Philippines provided for women suffrage ahead of most other countries.

Husbands are never entitled to inflict corporal punishment on their wives nor are they allowed to rape them; daughters are free to exercise their constitutional rights like any other, including the right to marry whoever they want, where to work, what to wear, without fear of violence.

We do not discriminate nor inflict violence on homosexuals just for being so.

People are free to travel and reside wherever they want. We do not exclude people from certain areas nor tolerate such exclusion on the basis of a difference in culture or religion.

Free expression is a right dear to Filipinos. We do not restrict criticism of official conduct. Which includes any public figure, even — for example — Catholic priests.

And speaking of Catholicism, free expression means the right to