Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

Congressman Lordan Gualberto Suan of Cagayan de Oro’s 1st district filed his Bill 9931, titled the Heartbreak Recovery and Resilience Act or Heartbreak Leave, on 14 February, Valentine’s Day, perhaps inspired by the emotional depths of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Heartbreak, a metaphorical term for profound emotional pain intertwined with loss, serves as the premise of Congressman Suan’s bill.

While Congressman Suan has garnered significant achievements in his inaugural year as a legislator, Bill 9931 risks tarnishing his impressive record as a distinguished lawyer and congressman.

In a Facebook interview, Congressman Suan intimated personal experiences with heartbreak, a surprising revelation given his charismatic demeanor, appearing more like a heartbreaker than a heartbroken individual.

He also cited two instances of seeing heartbroken friends who were so depressed and unproductive in their jobs that he decided to file HB 9931: first, to protect employers from paying unproductive employees, and second, to give the heartbroken time to heal.

The bill’s intent to balance employer and worker rights is commendable, aiming to prevent tragic outcomes akin to Romeo and Juliet and to support the heartbroken.

On the one hand, the bill purports to be a psychiatric and emphatic prescription to jilted lovers.

On the other hand, HB 9931 is an overthinking, overreaching, and overemotional proposal. More than impractical, it is intrusive as it requires a worker to publicly divulge his romantic failure when he files a written request for heartbreak leave.

The bill is also limited in scope as it covers only romantic interludes of the Romeo and Juliet kind.

There are many other types of heartbreak that were overlooked by the bill’s author, such as death in the family, missed opportunities, rejection or betrayal, unrequited love, disrupted friendship or family relationships, life transitions, and self-inflicted loss, to name a few.

Whatever the type, the bill is an indefensible intrusion into a matter so personal that only the person concerned himself or herself is qualified to resolve it either personally or through the help of a professional.

HB 9931 goes patently against the much-valued “principle of autonomy,” which is held sacrosanct in the fields of psychotherapy and counseling.

The bill introduces unpredictable and difficult-to-control incidents that will create chaos in the workplace. Production and delivery schedules are compromised when unplanned heartbreak leaves are booked at any time. Moreover, it encourages idleness, as workers can easily fake heartbreak. Worse, it promotes sexual harassment, as deviant supervisors might take advantage of vulnerable, heartbroken subordinates.

Heartbreak from a failed romance may be an unavoidable experience for spurned lovers, but officially announcing it to everyone in the company by way of an official leave could add to the suffering of the lovers concerned as the “marites” (gossips) in the company will start wagging their tongues.

Inarguably, heartbroken people need the time and space – not a heartbreak leave – to heal in private with the help of a psychiatrist, a close friend, family members, or finding a new love because love is lovelier the second time around, as Frank Sinatra’s song goes.

Legislators must refrain from assuming roles that are best left to mental health professionals, as HB 9931 addresses a problem that may not warrant legislative intervention.

Enacting a law such as a heartbreak leave is a solution looking for a problem.

The passage of such a bill risks diminishing the seriousness of legislative duties and may spur the creation of frivolous legislation, undermining the credibility of Congress.

We implore Congressman Suan to reconsider the implications of HB 9931 and instead focus on crafting legislation aligned with his legal expertise and track record of substantive contributions.