In the Philippines, where Catholicism is dominant and divorce is still illegal, a young atheist and openly gay lawyer is leading a historic fight for same-sex marriage.
Jesus Falcis, 31, is to face the Philippine Supreme Court today to argue that a law limiting marriage to a man and a woman violates the 1987 Philippine constitution, which he said does not make gender specifications on who can be married.
“I took up law to change the law. As a gay person, as a member of the minority I want to challenge laws that discriminate against LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] people and advocate for laws that would help us,” he said.
Falcis has found an unlikely ally in his fight in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Falcis has been a vocal critic of Duterte’s bloody anti-drug campaign and the ousting of Philippine Supreme Court chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
However, on this issue, he and Duterte agree.
“I support same-sex marriage,” Duterte said in a speech at an LGBT event in his hometown, Davao City, in December last year. “The problem is we’ll have to change the law. But we can change the law.”
It is thought that Duterte’s support for gay marriage is in part inspired by his antagonistic relationship with the church. He habitually attacks the bishops in his speeches and likes to distribute a book exposing sexual abuse and corruption in the church.
Falcis filed his petition in 2015 arguing for same-sex couples to be granted legal rights including visitation and custody rights, property and rights of inheritance.
It is difficult to predict which way the supreme court will rule on the petition, but attention for the cause is a big win for the LGBT community, said University of the Philippines constitutional law professor Antonio La Vina.
La Vina said the supreme court could have easily dismissed the petition procedurally, because there is no urgency in the situation of Falcis, who does not have a partner he wants to marry.
“The court is intrigued by the questions being raised in this case. They want to listen,” La Vina said. “I actually thought they would have dismissed the petition on procedural grounds. It means they are open to the substance of the case.”
Oral arguments are held only for high-profile issues.
La Vina said it should be seen as an opportunity to change minds and present an option for a more inclusive meaning of marriage.
“It’s historic. They actually get the chance to be heard. Change always starts with you getting a seat at the table. The oral arguments are akin to a seat at the table. They are given a chance to defend their position,” he said.
A number of gay couples who attempted but failed to get marriage licenses have also filed a supreme court petition to bolster Falcis’ petition.
The petition has encountered strong opposition from the church.
The Phillipines has the largest number of Catholics of any country in Asia — 74 million as of 2010, or about 80 percent of the population — and church opinion looms large over issues such as same-sex marriage.
The Philippines is the only country other than the Vatican that still bans divorce.
“It’s natural law. Families may only be formed by a man and a woman. What is the purpose of marriage? It’s openness to life and procreation,” Manila Auxillary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said, echoing a pastoral letter the church released in 2015 after the petition was filed.
Falcis said the church position is irrelevant to his petition, arguing that the country’s family code does not require married individuals to procreate and that there is no law prohibiting gay couples from adopting.
“I want to emphasize, we are talking about civil or legal marriage. Churches all over the country will still be able to perform their own religious marriages according to their own doctrines,” Falcis said.
Hundreds of LGBT people are planning to gather outside the supreme court when Falcis argues the case next week.
“There will be a short program outside the supreme court. There will be performances and statements from allies and supporters. We’re hoping for about 500 to 1,000 people, or even more,” said Vince Liban of UP Babaylan, the largest LGBT student organization, which is based at the University of the Philippines.
“To be honest, I’m not sure what to expect, but hope is what keeps the struggle alive. We will try to reason with them,” Liban said.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of