When it comes to parenting, mothers are usually given the most credit since they endure all the hardships and pain from the moment their respective babies begin to develop in their wombs.

They're unable to do many things for nine months while experiencing nausea, dizziness, and mood swings while pregnant. Many can't sleep soundly.

Fathers, on the other hand, typically get the short end of the stick when it comes to passing kudos around or receiving pats on the back.

Daily Tribune's pre-press specialist Lorenzo Dalit, 46, a single father of three, said moms need to be treated with all the love and respect due them.

"They deserve it because they face death while giving birth with all the indescribable pain, fear and bleeding," he added.

Nonetheless, he stressed that male and female parents must both receive fair treatment on how the state and law view them.

Earlier this month, lawmakers pushed legislation that would punish "deadbeat" parents who would fail to support their children. A fine of P100,000 to P300,000 and imprisonment of up to four years were proposed under the bill.

Penalties

Deadbeat parents under House Bill 4807 are those who "deliberately" and "repeatedly" neglect their obligation to their children, including the provision of financial support.

Noting that most negligent parents withholding child support are men, the bill's authors have argued that "deadbeat" fathers should be forced to accept their responsibilities by penalizing them.

Dalit, who has been raising his children for more than 16 years now, expressed the belief that the proposed measure is unfair.

"It seems unjust. The bill should also treat dads fairly. The majority of neglectful parents may be men, but not all. And a parent should not be subjected to that type of punishment simply because he is a man," he said.

Dalit supports his three children single-handedly after his ex-partner left, without bothering to provide their children any support.
He explained that a single father faces the same troubles as a single mother in raising children, finding it difficult if not impossible to multitask and juggle between a job and household chores.

Apply to all

Dalit said the proposed law should apply to both men and women to ensure that their children are given adequate support for essential needs and subsistence.

The bill mandates that child support shall not be lower than P6,000 a month or equivalent to P200 a day.

Both parents' combined monthly net incomes will be used to calculate child support, which will be divided proportionally between the father and mother based on their respective net incomes.

In addition to penalties, deadbeat parents shall be forced to meet their obligations by imposing liens on their real and personal properties for amounts equivalent to overdue child support claims and withholding tax refunds.

They will even be reported for negligence to consumer credit bureaus and their compensation, settlements, and other assets held by financial institutions and retirement funds subject to attachment.