Sunshine Cruz champions empowerment for evolving Filipino family

Singer-actress Sunshine Cruz has openly declared her support for the Pamilya Ko party-list, which began as a foundation for nontraditional Filipino families.

Single parent Sunshine Cruz lends her voice to families like hers by advocating her chosen party-list’s platform for protecting nontraditional households. PHOTO FROM PAMILYA KO PARTY-LIST

As a proud single parent who raised her children on her own, Cruz stresses the need for an organization that will represent and safeguard the welfare and rights of disadvantaged groups who have been unwittingly stripped of their rights and privileges by circumstance.

She laments, "I personally feel for the increasing number of broken families who are constantly struggling to survive and are unaware of their legal rights and privileges."

To date, some of the more common forms of nontraditional families are those headed by live-in partners or overseas Filipino workers, victims of domestic violence, adoptive families, blended families, LGBTQ families, the elderly and solo parents. The acronym "Lovables" has been coined for easier recall.

The proud single mom identifies with the party-list's agenda, which includes proposing legislation for equal rights for children born in and out of wedlock, as well as a domestic partnership law that would provide live-in partners the right to inheritance and the ability to make medical decisions in emergencies, among other livelihood, medical and legal assistance programs.She says, "I have the utmost respect for the group, specifically Pamilya Ko's first nominee, lawyer Anel Diaz, who topped the 2003 bar exams and whose noble advocacy was inspired by his own struggles as a young orphan. We salute public servants whose concept of service is more empowering and long-term."