A conservative country, Philippines, has an increasing number of same-sex marriages. Does this equate that the country is ready for such 'liberated' act, even with a lot of on-going debates? Let's try to dig deeper on this subject and come up with our own conclusion if Philippines is already 'same-sex-marriage' ready.

Fact is, Philippines is dominated by people under Christian faith, specifically Catholic. This may have been the reason why a lot of people do not accept same-sex marriages as it was the teaching ever since they were little. In fact, homosexuality is somehow considered a taboo that there are stories of children trying to keep their gender preference as long as they could. They fear rejection from their own families, and from the entire society. But with the wide-spread legalization of same-sex marriage in other parts of the globe, the LGBT community is now more vocal that they want the same to happen in the country.

The Catholic church is obviously against this as it is believed that same-sex marriage might distort God's plan for creation. Of course, with science, homosexual partners can actually have biological kids with the help of artificial insemination and the likes. However, as the whole process implies, it is unnatural and those who are so-called 'purists' think that we are fighting the laws of nature which is created by the Almighty.  

Apparently, the LGBT community in the Philippines is willing to fight for their rights. In fact, there are well-known celebrities who married outside the country. After their 'legal' bind overseas, some of them will come back to have a 'ceremony' which is a more acceptable term in the Philippines for same-sex unions. But for those who can't afford to have wedding overseas, Baguio is their quick resort for fulfilling their dreams of getting married to their better half. There are also pastors who conduct same-sex marriages in the Philippines, some of these are for free. This call is actually getting stronger - there are facebook pages dedicated same sex-marriage in the Philippines. However, the legal struggles are still being faced by the community.  Both the church and the laws of the land are still not convinced that same-sex marriage should be legalized in the country.

Is the Philippines ready for same-sex marriage? The LGBT community is in the process of introducing and educating the society. But the sad news is, this is quite far from being a reality. While it is being practiced and ceremonies and unions are celebrated, it will not be honored when we speak of legal matters. Indeed, homosexuals are creating names in different industries, but it is also obvious that a lot of people still discriminate them. How can the country accept same sex-marriage, if they could not accept them as individuals?