Filipino LGBT in Europe Appeals to Gov’t to Allow Foreign Same-Gender Spouses in PH
A Filipino LGBT community in Europe appealed to the Philippine government to allow LGBT and same-gender couples to enter the country this holiday.
Filipinos and their foreign spouses and children are allowed to enter the Philippines beginning December 7, 2020, according to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution No 85. However, the married same-gender couples are unclear if they included.
The Filipino LGBT Europe said the government should clarify whether the term ‘spouse’ in the advisory includes same-gender / LGBT partners that are legally recognized in many European countries, based on their appeal to the IATF, which was sent to different Philippine embassies in Europe.
“Currently, the travel advisory does not allow a foreigner to enter the Philippines, unless in the company of Filipino spouses,” the group said.
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According to their Facebook post, the group is fully aware of the strict concept of “spouse” under the Philippine family code, but “we also believe that the advisory should be inclusive of our LGBT siblings.”
“Ang definition po kasi ng spouse according sa ating Family Code ay limited lamang sa male and female. And because of this, we would like to ask a clear definition kung kasama po ba kami sa definition na ito? Kasi po dito po sa Europe katulad ng Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, France, nire-recognize po ang same-s*x marriage,” said Chris Sta. Brigida-Kopp, chairperson of the Filipino LGBT Europe.
Sta. Brigida-Kopp, a British-Filipino tie the knot with her Dutch-Austrian partner in the Netherlands, the first country in the world that allows same-gender marriage. Other married members joined the appeal to the government for clarifying the word “spouse” in the executive order.
The Executive Order No. 408 series of 1960 (which is part of the Balikbayan Program), which sets guidelines allowing former Filipinos with their foreign spouses and children to enter the Philippines without a visa for one year, has been restored.
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