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| Ate Gay |
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez revealed, that he is filing a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the Philippines, in a press conference at the House of Representatives yesterday.
Speaker Alvarez said, "Dumadami na yung population ng LGBT. Gusto ko lang ipadala ang mensahe na iginagalang natin ang karapatan nila."
He further added that even the Constitution guarantees a person's happiness.
Alvarez clarified the planned bill will only cover civil marriage and will not cover marriages solemnized by the church.
Speaker Alvarez is still looking for a co-sponsor for the same sex marriage bill though.
House Deputy Speaker and former Senator Pia Cayetano welcomed Speaker Alvarez's initiative. She said:"It will pave the way for healthy discussions on these issues that affect the lives of millions of our kababayans in the LGBT community."
"Inabot ko pa po yung time that certain issues were considered taboo like the RH Bill, and it took a long while for us to even attempt to discuss this in what I feel is a healthy and a productive way. But I feel that the time has come that we should be able to set aside our biases, our discomfort, because as legislators, we should be able to talk about this issue whenever it affects the lives of our kababayans. And so I look forward to this measure that will be filed by the Speaker of the House," she said.
Many in the House appeared to oppose the proposed bill though.
BUHAY party-list Rep. and Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza, Camsur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, Quezon City Rep. Bingbong Crisologo, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco opposes the idea.
In 2011, a same-sex marriage bill filed by Bohol Rep. Rene Relampagos did not prosper in Congress.