Saturday, April 19, 2008

Operation Tuli

I was quite shocked at first when my very conservative friend who happens to be a girl sent me an SMS yesterday saying that she was able to touch 30 or more penises in the span of 4 hours. And she was quite proud of herself and happy with the whole experience. At first I was quite scandalized by what she said and all sort of naughty thoughts came running into my head.

It was a good thing though that she clarified what she told me and said that she just had the most wonderful experience in "Operation Tuli". Operation Tuli is an annual project of the Department of Health - Philippines to have young boys circumcised (Tuli in Tagalog) in their own towns and municipality. I'm kind of jealous because I too want to experience an Operation Tuli which I doubt would exist in Canada. In Operation Tuli, several young boys wait in line for their free circumcision.

Circumcision has been a ritual for many religions and culture. Circumcision paves the way into adulthood and manhood while it is also a ritual in the Judeo-Christian Tradition to strengthen the covenant with God. Medically speaking, circumcision (the removal of the foreskin of the penis) is for hygienic purposes as dirt and secretions tends to accumulate in the foreskin and will result to urinary tract infections (UTI).


In other countries though male circumcision is done 2-3 weeks after birth. And if you're wondering there is also a female circumcision which I will post about later since it deserves to be discussed further.

For more information on circumcision I recommend this very informative site, kidshealth.org.

9 comments:

  1. surely u'l be on ur way to that experience young bro, soon as u decide to go back home for a break and participate in the event..

    kudos for the nomination.lets xlink i might be in alberta soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. hi josh! Yup you're right. Hehehe. Sure I'd love to exchange link. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  3. A friend asked me today if circumcision does exist in Ireland...I guess it does but only for a few,I think...

    I was told that it doesn't affect the ability of a man to have a child...does it?

    ReplyDelete
  4. yup circumcised or not, a man will still be able to have a child. You just remove part of the penis's skin so no harm to the organ ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  5. What role did she play? Did she perform the circumcision or did she just assist? Is she a nurse or student nurse? I hope you do not mind the questions but was just curious. I understand that it is not only doctors over there who do the procedure. As a whole I oppose circumcision on unconsenting minors but from what I learned so far no boy over there goes through the procedure unwillingly. Here in the USA it is done to infants at the request of the parents which I personally condemn.

    Tom from Florida

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Tom! Thank you for the questions. I will try to answer them one by one.

    1. What role did my friend (student nurse) play? She simply assisted the specially trained midwife in the circumcision procedure. Only a midwife was present because the Operation Tuli or Circumcision Program was held in a rural area far away from hospitals.
    2. Do boys here in the Philippines go through the procedure willingly? The answer would be yes because it has already been part of the Filipino culture to have males circumcised. Circumcision is believed to be a passage into manhood and adulthood. If one is circumcised here in the Philippines one would be ridiculed and teased as "Supot" or uncircumcised. And no one wants to be called "Supot" because it's a big shame to be uncircumcised here in the Philippines.
    3. Have I undergone the procedure? Was I willing? Yes I have, just like all boys below 10 years old here in the Philippines. Infant circumcision is not really practiced in the Philippines but in my opinion should be practiced. I was willing because I was already informed at that young age that circumcision was necessary for hygienic purposes.
    4. Does it decrease sexual urge/stimulation? I don't believe it does. Because as you have seen the Philippine population is booming meaning sexual acts are still happening at a rampant rate.
    5. If done at an early age does it have side effects? I don't believe that it has because circumcision is just the removal of the foreskin so there are no side effects really. Circumcision has no risks with this procedure and it is just a minor operation.

    Hope I answered your questions adequately. Have a great day!

    - Edgar

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's not a 'minor operation'- circumcision greatly reduces the functionality of the penis. I hardly think children in an environment of intense peer pressure could really be considered 'consenting', either. It's insulting to the vast majority of the world's population to imply that they are somehow 'less clean' because they still have all of their genitalia.

    ReplyDelete
  8. In your country, why can the teenage girls get circumcised too....dun the boys feel ashamed that a female is circumcising him? I believe male circumcision shud be done by a male.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Vile and disgusting, an abuse of human rights of the child and the adult he will become if he decides it was not for him. Only a fully consenting adult should consent to this procedure.

    Shame on a country that is mainly Christian and also for the Muslims that this still goes on.

    The Catholic Church condemns it and there is plenty of references in the New Testament against it "circumcise the circumcisers for they are dogs" and in the Koran "Satan will deceive you such that you will cut off the ears of your cattle".

    For those that claim religion and do this thing, they revoke the perfection of God/Allah by making that which is of the perfect design 'imperfect' and sexually abuse young children that cannot by virtue of their age give consent. It is a great insult to the Creator and to humanity. The deception of Satan and the shame to any Christian or Muslim, may God forgive, I certainly cannot forgive my mutilation. No child of mine will suffer this sexual abuse and insult to God.

    Kevin Elks, Dover, Kent, England (UK)

    ReplyDelete