A netizen on Twitter who’s also a critic of the Duterte administration believed that it’s already the right time for the Filipinos to choose on their own when it comes to circumcision.
On a Facebook post, netizen Juan Bisaya said that Filipinos should not be required to get circumcised if they don’t like to “lose a part” of themselves.
He called his advocacy as #intactivism.
“It’s circumcision season in the Philippines again. Boys, you don’t have lost a part of yourself because “God” or society tells you to. Circumcision is unnecessary and outdated,” he said.
Getting circumcised is part of the Philippines’ long historical tradition and is considered an obligatory rite of passage for males; boys who have not undergone the ritual are labeled “supót” and face ridicule from their peers.
And this is what happened to Juan Bisaya when his post gone viral on social media.
Most of the social media users who saw his post after being shared by netizen Keiji Labadisos accused him of being uncircumcised or supót.
Some of them also explained why getting circumcised could also improve the health of men.
“As far as what I have been taught, circumcision is a necessity for a man’s hygiene. Peeling or taking off skins on the tip of your genitals makes it easier to be cleaned,” netizen Josh Mallo said.
“If wala sa relihiyon mo ang circumcission then… Hygiene purposes never ever become outdated by the way,” netizen Shelala Saifo said.
Some netizen also sided with Juan Bisaya, like Vonn Russell Vargas Olfindo who admitted that he’s uncircumcised.
“I’m uncut here in a predominantly cut population in the Philippines,” he said.
Amid the criticisms he received, Juan Bisaya called his bashers as “toxic”.
“So I speak out against circumcision and got noticed for a very unpopular opinion. It’s tiring, but you can’t really expect an intelligent conversation with people that are considered one of the world’s most ignorant even if they’re considered educated,” Juan Bisaya said.
He also admitted that he was circumcised after being born.
Do you think that the circumcision tradition should stop in the Philippines? Share your thoughts below.