Emphasizing on the profound impact of laws to people’s lives, delegates from Saint Louis University gathered at the Fr. Theophile Verbist Hall, Saint Louis University (SLU)- Sacred Heart Medical Center in the afternoon of 13 February 2026 for “The Politics of Regulating Intimacy: A Critical Re-examination of our Laws and Interpretation,” a discussion led by Hon. Mario Victor “Marvic” F. Leonen, Senior Associate Justice (SAJ) of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
University President Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD kicked off the event by discussing the importance of the law– the profession and the discipline. “[I]t is not confined to statutes and syllabi or to cases and pleadings—it is an ongoing conversation about dignity, equality, and belonging,” he said. He further elaborated that “equality is not always about treating everyone the same; rather, it is about recognizing and respecting differences.” Fr. Sales then mentioned that SLU echoes the same vision through concrete actions: gender-neutral comfort rooms, a gender-sensitive dress code, and safe spaces.
Thereafter, Justice Leonen began his talk by tackling the uncertainty and discrimination surrounding same-sex marriage. He continued to note that the point of being a lawyer is not to maintain the status quo, but rather, to change the world. The current law contributes heavily to the normalization of heteronormative ideals, which legitimizes and rewards only heterosexual relationships, he said.
SAJ Leonen went on to discuss how the law grants people the autonomy to define who they are– citing several cases to illustrate the point that despite the status quo being so, the country has not passed any laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. “A resolution was once even introduced in the House to denounce educational material mentioning same-sex marriage,” Hon. Leonen recalled, telling of the state of the legality of same-sex marriages in the Philippines.
Justice Leonen next delved into matrimonial law and marital infidelity. In connection with infidelity, he pointed out that the terms “legitimate” and “illegitimate” constitute a certain stigmatization with children born due to illegitimate relationships. Children who are born with a certain “label” in relation to their parents’ marital status create unnecessary stigma and cause for discrimination. “In truth, there are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate acts by parents,” said SAJ Leonen, careful to advocate for the principle of equality between legitimate and illegitimate children.
Before concluding his talk, SAJ Leonen left some words for the students: “We need to construe law knowing our freedom is individually and socially meaningful.” The event ended with an hour-long open forum with the Supreme Court Justice, answering students’ and aspiring lawyers’ questions expounding on the topics tackled during the talk.
In her closing remarks, Atty. Yasmine Lee R. Tadeo, SOL Dean, thanked the parties who came together to make the event happen. She posed this question to the participants: “Beyond preventing unlawful acts, why does the government persist in devoting scarce resources to regulating whom we love, how we love, and when it should end?”
Attended principally by students from the SLU School of Law and Political Science Program, the Office of SAJ Leonen and SOL-organized event– through SOL’s Discipuli Legis Universitatis Sancti Aloysii and Chief Justice Manuel Moran Community Legal Assistance Office, the event advocated for UN SDG 4 (Quality Education), underpinned by the encouragement of students to challenge the status quo in the academe and in the professional world. SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). (Article by Kemm Mitchell G. Olarte, Photos by Guenne Gabriel C. Patano – SLU-UIO Interns)
