President Rodrigo Duterte is not opposed to the same-sex civil union, Malacanang said on Monday.

In a press briefing in Maasin City, Southern Leyte, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, however, said Duterte was against the same-sex marriage.

"Now, if you're talking about same-sex marriage, even the president is against the same-sex marriage. But the union, the president is in favor of that in order to fix the different aspects of the union of the same sex," he said.

A petition questioning the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Family Code limiting marriages between man and woman has been pending before the Supreme Court.

The latest survey of the Social Weather Stations also showed that 3 out of 5 Filipinos are opposed to same-sex marriage.

"Now, I don’t think the current challenge in the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of Article 1 of the Family Code, defining a marriage as between a man and a woman will actually succeed on the basis of the oral arguments conducted. ...but I could be wrong," Roque said.

Under the proposed same-sex civil union pending in Congress, Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman has said that same-sex couples would have more or less the same benefits similar to heterosexual couples in civil marriage, such as on property inheritance, deciding the fate of one's partner and possible adoption rights.

Roman is the first transgender elected as member of the House of Representatives. Celerina Monte/DMS