Philippine President Open to Marriage Equality, Cold on Adoption

When asked about same-sex marriage, Philippine president Benigno Aquino III said that adults should be able to do "whatever you want as long as you don't harm anybody else," but he called adoption by same-sex couples a "dilemma."

"Adults should be able to do whatever you want as long as you don't harm anybody else," said Aquino after initially refusing to answer questions about marriage equality at the Asia Society in New York Tuesday, reports Radio Australia.

Aquino called adoption by same-sex couples a "dilemma" and said, "My priority would be looking after the child, who has a very tender and impressionable mind."

No LGBT civil rights protections exist in law in the Philippines, although the country was the first in Asia to hold a gay pride march, in 1994. The powerful Roman Catholic Church strongly opposes an antidiscrimination bill that Ladlad, a political party that lobbies for LGBT rights, has tried to pass since 2003. Aquino expressed interest in the legislation as a candidate, but with his current push for a bill that would mandate access to contraception, analysts say he is reluctant to pick a second legislative battle with the church.