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By Nemelou Despues, Contributor
Decades ago, genital incision was purely a
traditional custom, more like a rite of passage. The manunuli
performs this procedure by inserting a wooden plug inside the
foreskin and cutting it using a dorsal slit.
Research today proves the health benefits of
circumcision. According to World Health Organization (WHO) and the
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), male
circumcision is an effective intervention to prevent the spread of
HIV. In March 2007, a study conducted by WHO stated that
circumcision provides a 50 percent to 60 percent reduction of HIV
being transmitted from men to women.
Studies also reveal that uncircumcised boys have
higher rates of inflammations and infections of the penis compared
to those who are circumcised. The reason for this is that the
foreskins may be a viable living ground for various kinds of
bacteria, thus making someone more predispose to a lot of infections
if this area is not properly cleaned.
There are a lot of myths in circumcision. One of
the most popular one is the belief that the boys will become taller
and bigger. There is also a misleading belief that genital incision
can help a boy’s testicle and penis develop. The truth is, this
procedure is mostly done at the age when growth spurt happens to
them at a faster rate due to puberty.
Guillermo Batol, who have been circumcising boys
for the past 40 years, said that a 30-year-old man approached him
and asked to be circumcised saying that his wife finds his genitalia
“dirty.”
Actually, it is not the penis that is dirty, but
the smegma that accumulates around the neck of the glans penis.
According to a study, this may cause cervical cancer for women.
In spite of the health benefits of circumcision,
some liberalist say that it should not be practiced as this a grave
violation of human rights. They add that any body part has its own
purpose, so there is no need for a boy to undergo this allegedly
traumatic experience.
In the Philippines, genital incision is
typically done using dorsal slit. There is no tissue being removed,
the foreskin is just cut vertically. Another type of circumcision,
which is rarely done in the country, is a procedure wherein the
whole foreskin was removed.
The so-called German Cut is not really another
variation of incision style. The name derives from a supposed
semblance between a circumcised penis and German helmets used during
World War II.
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