Senator Ronald “Bato” M. Dela Rosa (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Emerging trends must be considered in deciding on pressing issues, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said on Monday.
Dela Rosa’s remark came after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla rejected calls for the Philippines to pass measures on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (Sogie) equality, same-sex marriage, divorce, and abortion due to the predominance of Catholicism in the country.
For dela Rosa, the views of two sides must be heard.
“While I am a devout Catholic… there are emerging trends, there are emerging issues na dapat nating bigyan ng konsiderasyon at ‘wag nating isara ang ating puso’t isipan sa mga issues na ‘yan dahil for all we know, buhay ng tao ang apektado sa mga issues na ‘yan,” he said in an interview in the Senate.
(While I am a devout Catholic, there are emerging trends, there are emerging issues that should be considered, and we should not close our hearts and minds to these issues because, for all we know, these issues affect the lives of people.)
“So, for me, I am open. I cannot say right away that I am here or there. I can be swayed [by] both sides depending on the presentation of the facts and the issues at hand,” he added.
Dela Rosa noted that the percentage of Catholic Filipinos in the country “will really weigh down on the decision-making on any measures.”
Based on the government’s data released in 2017, nearly 80 percent of the country’s population are Roman Catholics.