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PHL will not recognize same-sex marriages done in other countries – Palace


The Philippines will not recognize the union of same-sex couples wed in the United States and foreign countries where gay marriage is legal, a Malacañang spokesperson said Sunday.
 
"Ang umiiral na batas po natin ay malinaw. Doon po sa Family Code of the Philippines, ang kinikilala lamang na kasal ay sa pagitan ng 'a man and a woman'," Communications Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said in an interview over dzRB radio.
 
The Family Code, enacted during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, states that a "marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life."
 
"Kaya po lahat ng mga same-sex marriage ng mga Pilipino na contracted po sa foreign country, hindi po ‘yan kinikilala sa ating bansa," Coloma added. 
 
The US Supreme Court, with a vote of 5-4, has ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states. 
 
The decision recieved an overwhelmingly positive response in the US, and in different countries, with the Filipino lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community holding its own pride parade in Manila, Saturday.
 
Coloma further cited the Civil Code of the Philippines, which states that all “laws relating to family rights and duties or to the status, condition, and legal capacity of persons are binding upon citizens of the Philippines even though living abroad."
 
"Wala pong pagbabago sa pambansang patakaran hinggil diyan. Kung mayroon pong nagpapanukala dapat po idaan nila ‘yan sa Kongreso," he said. 
 
The US is the 21st country to legalize same-sex marriage. 
 
Among the states that recognize same-sex unions are Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Scotland, and Canada.

On Saturday, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said that it will maintain its stance that marriage "is a permanent union of man and woman."

"If there is an undeniable difference between man and woman, there is also an undeniable difference between the permanent union of a man and a woman," CBCP head and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said. 

Although the Constitution declares the separation of Church and State inviolable, the Catholic Church remains influential in the Philippines, where around 80 percent of the population identifies as Catholic. — Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/JDS, GMA News
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