Lawmaker pushes for same-sex unions, divorce in Catholic Philippines

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s top ally in Congress proposed new bills to legalise divorce and same- sex unions, a move almost certain to meet fierce resistance from bishops in the mainly Catholic country.

Opening the lower house for its second regular session, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said he will file a bill to legally recognise civil partnerships between people of the same sex.

The Philippines will become the first South-East Asian nation to legalise same-sex unions if he succeeds.

Alvarez said citizens should be allowed to divorce legally as much as same-sex couples should be allowed to have legally recognised unions.

“We must also be considerate of the fact that marriage may not be for everyone,” he said.

“Presently, it even excludes certain groups of people from its fold.

“Our citizens should not be excluded from society just because of the person they love.

“They must also be treated with equality before the law.”

Twenty-seven countries, mostly in Western Europe and the Americas, have already recognised same-sex unions.

A court in Taiwan issued a ruling in May that said same-sex couples had the right to marry legally.

The Vatican and the Philippines are the only states in which divorce is outlawed.

The proposals by Alvarez drew mixed reactions from lawmakers, both allies and the opposition.

The Philippine bishops will most likely try to block moves to legalise divorce and same-sex marriages, although Catholic church representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Congressman Teodoro Baguilat described the proposal as “bold, clear and progressive”, but representative Tom Villarina said Congress should focus on passing an anti-discrimination bill put forward by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community because that proposal already has broad support.

In the most recent opinion polls, Filipinos overwhelmingly rejected same-sex marriages, with the latest survey in 2015 showing nearly 70% of 1,200 respondents strongly disagreed.

Laws on same- sex marriages have been proposed as far back as 2006, but none has gained traction.

However, the latest attempt could gain momentum because it has the endorsement of Alvarez, a close ally of Duterte, who enjoys a supermajority in the legislature.

He said divorce will strengthen the rights of minors, because there will be fewer illegitimate children under the law.

Divorces, he said, will be a far less tedious and expensive process than annulling marriages, which can take years and face many legal hurdles.