The Philippines will not legalize same-sex marriage anytime soon,

President Rodrigo Duterte has said, reversing a campaign promise in

which he pledged to support legislation to allow gay unions.
Mr. Duterte stressed that the country was Asia’s bastion of Roman
Catholicism, which steadfastly opposes same-sex marriage.
“That’s for them. That can’t apply to us, because we are Catholics,” Mr. Duterte said in a
lengthy speech on Sunday to the small Filipino community in Myanmar, where he
arrived as part of a visit to bolster regional ties. He left for Thailand on Monday.

“And there is the civil code, which states you can only marry a woman
for me, and for a woman to marry a man. That’s the law in the
Philippines.”

But he stressed: “Wherever God has placed you, stay there.” (The New
York Times) March 20, 2017 (Felipe Villamor)

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a statement

Sunday, August 30, saying individuals should refuse to take part in ceremonies
celebrating same-sex relationships and politicians should resist legalizing marriages of
homosexual couples.

"A homosexual union is not and can never be a marriage as properly understood and
so-called," the CBCP said in the statement posted on its website.

"There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be similar or

even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and the family."
While expressing compassion for homosexuals, the CBCP said "sexual attraction
towards the same sex is... in the light of our understanding of marriage, objectively
disordered." (Rappler.com) August 31, 2015

The case, which was filed by a gay lawyer named Jesus Falcis in 2015,
urges the court to declare the marriage restriction in the country’s
Family Code – which limits marriage to one man and one woman –
unconstitutional (Ryan Thoreson, 2018)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday reversed a campaign

promise to push for legalization of same-sex marriage. “That [same-
sex marriage] won’t work for us. We’re Catholics,” he said in
a speech before the Filipino community in Burma. “And there’s
the Civil Code, which says that [a man] can only marry a woman.”

During last year’s presidential election campaign, Duterte said he was

open to the idea. “If [draft same-sex marriage legislation] reaches me
in whatever capacity, I'll consider it,” Duterte said in February 2016.
(Carlos Conde, March 20, 2017)

Benefits of Legalizing Same Sex Marriage

1. A more accepting society
2. Rearing mentally untainted children
3. LGBT Empowerment
 4. A significant Economic boost
5. Upholding the American Psyche

"Is it possible to love, to promise, to commit, to have children, to have intimate relations outside of
marriage?" Leonen asked during his interpellation of lawyer Jesus Nicardo Falcis III.

"Same-sex couples, just like opposite couples, can establish a conjugal and family life," he added.
(Falcis)

Falcis explained that under the 1987 Constitution, there are no gender restrictions when it comes to
marriage.

"Heterosexual couples may or may not marry but LGBT couples don't have the same choice," Falcis
said, noting that the Constitution provides that their rights should also be protected. 

Falcis argued that these provisions violate homosexuals' right "to found a family" as protected
under Section 3 (1) of the 1987 Constitution.

"The 1987 Philippine Constitution does not define marriage solely as between man and
woman...The right of individuals, homosexual or heterosexual, to choose the person he or she
wants to have a relationship with and consequently have that relationship legally recognized with
all concomittant the rights and obligations is a private decision for individuals to make, not the
state," the petition read.\

Limiting the definition of marriage between man and woman is grave abuse of discretion, argued
Falcis, based on the following grounds:

- the 1987 Constitution does not define marriage as between man and woman; 
- the Family Code does not require married individuals to procreate or have the ability to procreate;

- homosexuals are not ordinarily impotent, and not prohibited by law to adopt;

- heterosexuals are no better parents than homosexuals;

- gay individuals are human beings who can love another person just like straight individuals; and 

- both gay and straight couples can enter into long-term relationships, and have the same chances of
breaking up. 

(ABS-CBN News, June 19, 2018)