Roxas not in favor of divorce, same-sex marriage

Administration presidential candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said on Sunday that he was not in favor of legalizing divorce and same-sex marriage.

“Hindi, hindi ako payag... I’m one of the 40 percent na hindi payag,” Roxas, who is married to broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez, said in an interview with GMA News anchor Mel Tiangco for “Wanted: President”.

A Social Weather Stations poll taken last year found that three out of five, or 60 percent of Filipinos favored the legalization of divorce.

Apart from the Vatican City state, the Philippines is the only country that does not allow divorce. A divorce law was introduced in the present 16th Congress but the leadership of the House of Representatives said it had no chance in being approved.

“Para sa akin ang pamilya ang sentro ng buhay ng bawat tao ,'di ba? So dapat gawin nating lahat na manatiling matatag ang pamilya, paniwala ko rin na ang katatagan ng ating bansa,” Roxas said.

And neither was Roxas in favor of same-sex marriage as a public policy. “Bilang public policy para sa akin ay hindi ako pabor dito. Subalit... may mga kamag-anak ako na close na close na have partners and nirerespeto ko sila, minamahal ko sila, tinatanggap ko sila, bukas-puso, bukas-loob kong ang aking pagtrato sa kanila,” the Liberal Party bet added.

Death penalty

Meanwhile, Roxas said he was also not in favor of reviving death penalty in the Philippines.

Roxas, former Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), said authorities should be able to apprehend criminals, citing repeat offenders accounting for a great deal of recorded crimes.

“Ang deterrence ay hindi doon sa parusa. Matimbang man, mabigat man ang parusa kung hindi ka naman mahuhuli, kung mababayaran mo naman yung prosecutor or makakalusot ka sa judge ay para kahit pa, kahit death, double death penalty, quadriple death penalty kung hindi ka naman mahuhuli, walang saysay 'yan,” Roxas explained.

“Ito yung mga kriminal na nahahanap na, hindi pa naaresto na paulit-ulit ginagawa itong gawain na ito, so ang problema natin ay hindi yung parusa, ang problema natin ay hindi sila nahuhuli pa.”

Roxas said that under his term as DILG chief, 746 out of the 900 most wanted persons in the National Capital Region were arrested through the Philippine National Police's Oplan Lambat Sibat. — ALG/DVM/JST, GMA News