MAJORITY of the Filipino people turned down the proposal to legalize same-sex marriage in the country, according to a March poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The survey, conducted on March 23 to 27, found that 61 percent opposed the passage of a measure that would allow civil union of same-sex couples in the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic nation.
Only 22 percent backed the same-sex marriage, while 16 percent were undecided on the matter.
The poll results posted a net score of “very weak” -40, in terms of the public support for the marriage of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) couples.
When it comes to religion, objection to civil union for LGBT communities was most pronounced among members of Iglesia ni Cristo (“extremely weak” -64). It was followed by Christian members (“extremely weak” -55), Muslims (“very weak” -48), and Roman Catholic faithful (“very weak” +36).
The SWS noted that the strongest opposition to same-sex marriage came from the respondents in Visayas (“very weak” -45), being followed by those who are in Balance Luzon (“very weak” -42), Mindanao (“very weak” -38), and Metro Manila (“moderately weak” -27).
A net agreement score of “extremely weak” -70 was recorded among single men who are either widowed, separated, or divorced.
The survey also found that a “very weak” net agreement rating was registered among married men (-49), married women (-45), single women who are either widowed, separated or divorced (-37), and single men who never married (-30).
A “moderately” weak net score was noted among women with live-in partners (-27), men with live-in partners (-25), and single men who never married (-18).
Around 1,200 Filipino adults -- 50 percent of whom are men while the remaining 50 percent are women -- were polled through face-to-face.
The SWS used sampling error margins of ±3 percentage points for national percentages, and ±6 percentage points each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The LGBT communities celebrate pride month in June to honor the June 1969 Stonewall riots in the United States that served as the catalyst for gay rights movement all over the world.
Malacañang earlier admitted that the country is not yet ready for the same-sex marriage.
“Ako po ay naniniwala na hindi pa po talaga handa itong Supreme Court na ito at ang bansa para sa ganitong proposal na marriage talaga amongst sa same sex, (I believe that the Supreme Court and our country are not yet ready for such proposal of marriage among same sex.) “ Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a June 21 press conference.
“Alam nila na too revolutionary siguro na tanggapin ng ating lipunan iyong same-sex marriage, (They know that it's too revolutionary perhaps to accept the same-sex marriage in our society.)” he added. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)