The Philippine Supreme Court in a landmark decision has ruled that same-sex couples can be considered co-owners of property.
Applying a provision of the country's Family Code for the first time, the court said same-sex couples can be recognised as co-owners if it is proven that both parties contributed to acquiring a property.
Same-sex unions are outlawed in conservative Catholic Philippines and it is the only country in the world, outside of the Vatican, that does not allow divorce.
This has left LGBT couples without legal protections when it comes to property, finance, and healthcare.
The Supreme Court ruling, made public recently, involved a former couple - two women - who had decided to sell their house in suburban Manila.
One of the women refused to sell after initially agreeing to do so, prompting the other to file a claim before a lower court seeking to divide their property. However, the lower court denied the claim, which was confirmed by the Court of Appeals.
On February 5, the Supreme Court reversed the lower court's rulings, citing a document from one partner acknowledging that she had paid 50% of the purchase and renovation costs.
While the Family Code defines marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, the court asserted that Article 148 - which governs property relations of people who live together but cannot legally marry - applies equally to all forms of co-habitation, without discrimination based on gender.
Associate Justice Marvic Leonen emphasized that excluding same-sex couples would make some legitimate intimate relationships legally invisible.
Immense societal changes necessitate that Article 148 not be limited to heterosexual couples, according to Associate Justice Amy Lazaro Javier.
It was confirmed that this is the first time Article 148 of the Family Code has been invoked concerning property rights of a same-sex couple.
The court has called on government officials and lawmakers to address the needs of same-sex couples, recognizing the existing political, moral, and cultural challenges surrounding their rights.
With the political, moral, and cultural questions that surround the issue concerning the rights of same-sex couples, political departments especially the Congress must be involved to quest for solutions, the court stated.
