Same-Sex Marriage, the practice of 

marriage between two men or between two

women. Although same-sex marriage has been regulated through law, religion, and
custom in most countries of the world, the legal and social responses have ranged from
celebration on the one hand to criminalization on the other.

On January 6, 2020, the Philippines’ Supreme Court announced it had dismissed

a motion to reconsider its September 2019 ruling denying a petition to approve same-
sex marriage in the country, effectively concluding this case “with finality.” The petition
had essentially requested that the Court declare unconstitutional on equality grounds
certain provisions of the Philippine Family Code that define marriage as a union
between a man and a woman. The Court indicated in its ruling that the petitioner’s
request was too limited in scope, as there are a wide variety of other statutes besides
the Family Code that similarly treat marriage as a heterosexual institution.

In addition, the Court stated that petitioner had failed to demonstrate that he was
directly affected by the provisions he deemed unconstitutional, as he did not request
(and thus was not denied) a license to enter into a same-sex marriage, and
consequently could not establish the proper standing to file his lawsuit.