 The bill did not advance.In December 2014, Herminio Coloma Jr, a spokesperson for the Presidential Palace, commented on same-sex marriage, saying; "We must respect the rights of individuals to enter into such partnerships as part of their human rights, but we just need to wait for the proposals in Congress".Shortly after Ireland legalized same-sex marriage through a popular vote in May 2015, advocates for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Philippines saw the possibility of legalizing such marriages with a public petition.