In Defense of Dingdong and Marian: WHO CARES?

photo courtesy of the bride's Facebook account

Just today, this morning to be exact, I read an article shared on Facebook about the recently concluded and much talked-about nuptials of this showbiz “royal couple”. 

To summarize, the writer pointed out that the event was a “blatant display of decadence,” to quote, amidst millions of Filipinos who “struggle to find their next meal every day,” to quote again.

It was indeed an extravagant wedding. The wedding gown alone cost the couple a whopping two million pesos. Add to that a tiara which made the bride look like, yes, “royalty” from all angles. 

My take on this matter is: WHO CARES? 

Though it is true that millions of Filipinos are in poverty, this should not in any way put a dent, or cast a shadow on the couple’s momentous occasion . To begin with, they used their own hard-earned money for it. 

Their own money, if I may reiterate further. 

Was the grandiosity of the couple's wedding an insensitivity to the plight of their less privileged neighbors? 

Not necessarily, and I don’t think so. 

When I buy Pringles instead of Chippy, I don’t think I am being numb towards those who can’t buy one. When you go to Starbucks, are you necessarily being unfeeling towards those who can’t even buy a sachet of three-in-one?

The writer further elevated the matter by mentioning a law against “thoughtless extravagance,” contained in Article 25, Chapter 2: Human Relations, of the Philippine Civil Code: 

Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute public want or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private charitable institutions.

I am not aware that such a law exists. Well now, I am aware of it. 

But what are the parameters to gauge that someone or something is extravagant? To what extent is extravagance legal, and illegal? Has anyone been accused and jailed because of this? Can someone erase the vagueness and subjectivity of this provision? 

Or am I simply being too literal about it (being a non-lawyer)?

According to the article (of the writer), the reason for the crafting of the law is that “thoughtless extravagance during emergencies may incite the passions of those who cannot afford to spend.” Now what does “incite” mean? It is actually a verb which means to encourage or stir up violence or unlawful behavior.

But then again, WHO CARES about the wedding? 

Did it have any negative bearing whatsoever on the lives of Filipino masses? Was the wedding's lavishness that disturbing to cause the masses to revolt?

We are all entitled to our own opinions, but I feel that there are better things to think of at this point in time.

It is noble to think about the plight of the masses. But to drag into the picture individuals who have nothing to do with it, is not noble.