A POSITION PAPER ON THE LEGALIZATION OF SAME-SEX

MARRIAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Same-sex marriage is defined as the union of two individuals of the same sex in
a marital relationship with full legal rights and responsibilities given to this contract in a
specific jurisdiction. It is the subject of debate and controversy of numerous experts as
of today. The practice of homosexual marriage is not a recent event as it has been
around during the Greek and Roman periods. This type of marriage is only limited to a
minority of jurisdictions in a few countries in which it is available. Countries in which
same-sex marriage is allowed include Norway, South Africa, France, England, and the
most recent countries are Ireland and the United States of America. Now there is the
issue of whether the Philippines should also legalize same-sex marriage. Same-sex
marriage should be prohibited in the Philippines as is it contradicts its culture, especially
as the country is dominated by the Catholic religion and its teachings.

It is a common view for society to see the marriage between heterosexual

couples, others would want to argue. Equality of rights is usually the argument of same-
sex marriage supporters. They believe that homosexual and lesbian couples should
have the same rights of marriage as those of heterosexual couples. Supporters of the
LGBT community have argued that giving them the right to marry promotes equality as
the government has finally recognized their rights, and thus dissolves discrimination.

The Philippines, however, is a Catholic country. Legalizing same-sex marriage

here clearly contradicts the teachings and doctrine of the Church. Rev. Fr. Jose Glicerio
Geremia defines marriage as the union of man and woman.

God Himself instituted marriage by stating that man is made for woman and
woman is made for man. In Genesis 2:18-25, there are lines in which support it. “The
Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him
who corresponds to him.’” And there is also the line, “Then the man said, ‘This one, at
last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one would be called woman, for she
was taken out of man.’”

So when a man is married to a man or woman married to a woman, this violates

the Church’s doctrine. It will weaken the respect and value of marriage, since marriage
is considered sacred and almost every society views marriage as a union between men
and women only. Whereas same-sex- marriage promotes partnership, it is not, however,
the normal type of partnership.

Fr. Geremia mentions that the main purpose of the said union or the marriage is
for men and women to reproduce offspring. Therefore, in this sense, same-sex marriage
is not beneficial as homosexual and lesbian couples are incapable of reproduction and
cannot be considered as a full-fledged family. Even with the choice of adoption, or
having surrogate mothers or sperm donors, it is still not the same case.

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 Then there is the concept of family. Families are commonly composed of a father,
a mother and a child or children. Although LGBT supporters argue that what children
need are not biological male and female parents but the masculine and feminine roles
of the parents. Most of the Filipinos are Catholics and they are usually family-oriented.
In their perspective, having this kind of marriage would break their Filipino values.

Then there is the issue regarding of the acceptance of the Filipinos to same-sex
couples. A survey conducted by Rappler shows that seventy percent of the Filipino
population “strongly disagrees” with the legalization of the said marriage. This shows
the fact that most citizens of the Philippines are not yet ready for it and that they clearly
disapprove.

“The Church says that homosexuals should be treated with love and respect, but
redefining the natural and divine institution of marriage is simply something we are not
able to do,” these are the words of Father Marcos Gonzales of St. John Chrysostom, a
Roman Catholic parish in Inglewood, California. In conclusion, reasons why same-sex
marriage is not to be legalized to the reasons: it contradicts the catholic doctrine, it is
not beneficial, it weakens the respect for marriage, and that the Filipino mindset is still
not ready for it. But while people oppose the thought of this kind of marriage, it is hoped
that homosexuals and lesbian should still be considered with compassion and respect .

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