Your honors good afternoon.

The Philippines is ranked as one of the most gay-friendly nations in

Asia. Under the survey titled The Global Divide conducted by Pew Research Center, it was shown that 73%
of adult Filipinos agreed with the statement that “homosexuality should be accepted by society” up by 9
percentage points from 64% in 2002. In Philippine history prior to Spanish occupation, Homosexuals
actually had a role of a babaylan, or a local spiritual leader who was the holder of science, arts, and
literature. In the absence of Datu of the community, the babaylans, homosexual or not, were also made
as leaders of the community. However, during the Spanish era, the Spaniards forcefully instilled the
Roman Catholicism to the natives which led to the end of acceptance of homosexuality in most of the
archipelagic people. These deep Catholic roots nationwide from the colonial era have resulted in much
discrimination, oppression, and hate crimes for the LGBT Community in the present time.

Today, most if not all LGBT members often face disadvantages in getting hired for jobs, attaining
top public positions and acquiring rights for civil marriage in this patriarchal society. History dictates that
when minority people were oppressed, discriminated and deprived of legal rights, their community
leaders would stand up and fight for their rights. During in the early part of 20th century, Filipino women
were deprived of the right to suffrage, property rights during marriage and were succumbed to the whims
and caprices of their husbands. Today, much has been changed, an overhaul to the system which resulted
to the rise of women in various sectors in the political atmosphere, business industry and in the legal field.
Now, if we could give equal rights for women, why not for LGBT brothers and sisters?

The negative argues that by granting same-sex marriage to the LGBT community would not be
beneficial since it would affect our traditions, norms, mores and even the law. Today I would like to discuss
the 3 reasons on why granting same sex marriage is beneficial.

 First, the legalization of same sex marriage would grant the couples the benefits on which the
government would give to heterosexual couples. The said benefits would entail that the
government recognizes the importance of the minority group. Under the taxation law,
heterosexual couples could claim benefits in the form of additional exemptions for their children,
and married couples are required to file their income taxes together to save the BIR’s time in
dealing with income taxes of individuals.
Should we legalize the same-sex marriage, such benefits would also be applicable to our LGBT
brothers and sisters as a form of incentives for being a tax payer in the country. Furthermore,
once legally married, the same sex couples will be eligible for government services, and security
service death benefits under SSS, GSIS or veterans benefits and pensions. In case of death of the
member spouse, the surviving spouse will be entitled to receive portion of monthly pension
entitled to the deceased spouse.

 Second, by legalizing same sex marriage, this opens the opportunity to the LGBT members to
legally adopt children of their own. Currently, though the Philippine law allows and LGBT member
to adopt a child, they can do so individually and not jointly as a couple. With this rule, this creates
a subtle discriminatory barrier for the members of the LGBT in starting a family of their own.
Article 15 section 1 of the Philippine Constitution provides that “the State recognizes the
Filipino family as the foundation of the nation. Accordingly, it shall strengthen its solidarity and
actively promote its total development.”
Article 15 section 3 provides further that “the right of the children to assistance, including
proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty,
exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development”

By these aforementioned articles, nowhere in the Constitution prohibits gay couples to

become parents of an adopted child and certainly they cannot be construed against the gay
couples to inhibit them from becoming an effective basic unit of the society. Furthermore,
research from American Psychological Association coined the term “no differences theory” which
posits that there is no scientific evidence that parenting effectiveness is related to parental sexual
orientations; that gay couples are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and
 healthy environments for their children and that the adjustment, development, and psychological
wellbeing of children is unrelated to the said parental sexual orientations.

 Lastly, the legalization of same sex marriage would lessen the discriminatory biases against the
LGBT members. In affirming the rights of a social minority such as the LGBT community, we are
also opening the way for other cultural, political or any other minority group. Just as
acknowledging racial equality, it lessens the misogynistic approach towards women and the rise
of women empowerment and feminism, and a genuine gay liberation can in turn spawn liberation
trends that can make our society a more stable one.

Furthermore, acknowledging the legality of homosexual relationships by allowing them to

marry reduces homophobia and violence against the community. The LGBT community also has
heterosexual allies that can be subjected to discriminatory violence in places where same sex
marriage is illegal. The stigma associated with homosexuals and those that support them will
reduce gradually if same sex marriage is legalized. By normalizing the nature of same sex
relationships, we are creating a society that is more accepting, more diverse, and in effect, more
democratic. Moreover, the rights afforded to the LGBT community are enshrined in the UN
Charter, the Universal declaration of human rights which declares that “all human beings are born
free and equal in dignity and rights, that the equality and non-discrimination guarantee provided
by the international law applies to all people, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity
and other status.

With these contentions, the affirmative is firm in our stand and that the negative should admit
that their approach in this issue is rhetoric rather than pragmatic which are not practicable in resolution
of the case at bar. After all, the granting of same sex marriage is not only for the satisfaction of the few
but also for the society as a whole. Idealistic it may seem, but a society so diverse yet living in harmony is
better than a society instilling hate, discrimination and oppression.