Celebrity Kris Aquino joined the discussion on marriage equality in the Philippines by saying that the country is not yet ready for this, even if she is for civil union in order to protect the properties of those in LGBT relationships.
Aquino stated her “separate but not equal” position in her show, Kris TV, where she also claimed that her “closest friends” are members of the LGBT community.
“Right now I don’t think our country is prepared. We are not America. Hindi pa tayo handa sa ganun. Pero… gusto kong mabigyan ng karapatan as far as inheritance is concerned. ‘Yung civil union. Only because, for partners who have been together na nagpundar together for so many years, tapos hindi mo pwedeng iiwan sa kanya… Pwede sa will, pero legally wala ng habol and all. Eh nagmahalan naman talaga (We’re not yet ready for that. But… I want them to have rights as far as inheritance is concerned. Thus civil union. Only because, for partners who have been together to accumulate wealth together for so many years, then you can;t leave your wealth to your partner… You can do this in your will, but it can’t be legally questioned. But they really love each other),” Aquino said.
This is not the first time Aquino spoke on this issue.
In 2013, for instance, she was quoted as saying that “gays and lesbians should be given the right to formalize their union”; and that same-sex marriage will lessen promiscuity.
As a regular in the entertainment industry, Aquino is no stranger to LGBT-related controversies. Only last year, she fumed when some people called her son Bimby “toyab”, the inverted form of “bayot”, the Visayan word for gay; at least some questioned why being identified as gay can be considered “pambabastos” (sign of rudeness), as Aquino said then.
Aquino’s lovelife has also been colorful. She had a live-in relationship with married actor Phillip Salvador (they have a child, Joshua). In 2003, she dated Joey Marquez, whose marriage to actress Alma Moreno was still in the process of being annulled. She then married Philippine Basketball Association player James Yap in a civil marriage ceremony on July 10, 2005 (they have a child, Bimby). The couple separated in 2010. Aquino also dated Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista.
