Choosing godparents in the Philippines

Filipino trait that needs to be addressed:

Stop forcing people to be godparents, and stop pressuring parents/couples into choosing someone they barely know.

Admit it or not— it’s a common reason in the Philippines to assign someone as a godparent with the assumption that they’d be giving money to said couple or child. And that’s not what they’re for.

I’ve refused invites to be a godparent, both in weddings and for children because:

1. Being a couple’s godparent means you’re a line of defense before separation— and I would just advocate for separation; and
2. Being a godparent to a child means you are expected to step up mentally, physically, emotionally, financially when things get rough for the parents— I don’t want that responsibility unless I know the parents mean a lot to me.

If someone is incapable of these responsibilities, then they are allowed to politely decline or they should not be invited to be godparents at all.