Queency D.

Ramos
Comm I- JQ
Jaena Joyce Cabanilla Ma. Elinora Peralta Imson,
Ph. D.
Jay Han Edward Hernandez March
9, 2011

Against Homosexual Marriage in the Philippines
The legalization and accession of homosexual marriage in the
Philippines, often termed as blessings or holy union, is not suitable and tolerable
in this conservative Catholic country. It has been the core of debate between its
opponents and the homosexuals who assert for their rights and freedom against
discrimination. Going against the recognition and acceptance of homosexual
marriage does not imply discrimination against these people, who are attracted to
the same sex, but it is a way of obeying the laws of God, following the laws of
man, and negatively, it can lead to the increase of people who have AIDS or
become infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
The Philippines is the only dominant Catholic country in Asia and the
third among all other countries globally. The Netherlands was the first country to
legalized same-sex marriage in 2001. Since then, other countries followed this
step. The countries of Belgium, Spain, and Canada also passed legislation to
recognize homosexual marriage. As Christians, the Filipinos have always
believed that according to the law of God, marriage is the union between a man
and a woman. This is in accordance to what was written on the Bible that God
created only man and woman. The homosexuals claim that they can be able to
keep to this law by changing their sex through sexual operation and hormonal
treatment. Having the sex change does not mean they can already conform to
the divine law because what is meant here is being natural man and woman.
This is the reason why the House Bill 1245 was presented in the congress by
Representative Rozzano Rufino Biazon. This bill "prohibits marriages between
two men, one of whom had a sex exchange [sic.] operation and between two
women, one of whom also had a sex exchange [sic.] operation, and it would only
grant marriage between natural born males and natural born females.
Homosexual marriage is also against the law of man. It is immoral and
unethical. In the Philippines, the Family Code defines marriage just like how the
Catholic Church defines it, union between a man and woman. On the other
hand, the homosexuals assert that if they are not given the rights for marriage,
they are evidently discriminated and abandoned by the community but as
opponents of this kind of marriage we do not intend to discriminate the
homosexuals. It is just a law in our moral understanding that this kind of marriage
means of defying Gods law. Marriage is a way of having a family. Couples with
the same sex can only have a child through adoption and having two mothers or
two fathers really affect the childs moral understanding.
The legalization and recognition of homosexual marriage is also a way of
increasing the number of people with AIDS. In history, the first case of AIDS was
first identified in 1981 among homosexual men and intravenous drug users in
New York and California. Nowadays, in the Philippines, there are a growing
number of people who are diagnosed to be infected with HIV or Human
Immunodeficiency Virus, the first stage which leads to having AIDS. This virus is
acquired through sexual contact with those who are already infected or through
transfusion of HIV-contaminated blood or by using needles or syringe to inject
blood into the bloodstream. AIDS is a disease with no medical treatment that is
why it is very hard to survive with this kind of disease.
Homosexual marriage should not be authorized and recognized in the
Philippines. It is highly opposed in this Catholic country where Filipinos put a high
value on the Christian virtues which includes marriage. It is not appropriate here
because the Filipinos are very protective of its tradition and beliefs. It is not a
form of discrimination against the homosexuals but it is a way of conforming to
the laws of God, following the laws of man and preventing the great possibility of
spreading Human Immunodeficiency Virus that leads to the incurable disease of
AIDS. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines continue to make an
appeal to our lawmakers not to legalize what is immoral, to legitimize what is
unethical and to make human law that is contrary to the divine law.


References:
Conde, Carlos A. 2010.In the Philippines, a Struggle to Reconcile Faith and Love
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/world/asia/10iht-phils.html?_r=1 (accessed
March 4, 2011)

2006. Ban on homosexual 'marriage' introduced in Philippines Parliament...
http://www.tldm.org/News9/homosexualMarriagePhilippines.htm (accessed
March 4, 2011)

210. Why Same sex marriage is not allowed in the Philippines?
http://www.yousaytoo.com/lyrad2008/why-same-sex-marriage-is-not-allowed-in-
the-philippines/26710 (accessed March 4,2011)