MANILA- Filipino members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community can no longer wait for Congress to pass a law legalizing same-sex marriage.

This is according to lawyer Jesus Nicardo Falcis III who filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking to legalize same-sex marriage in the Philippines.

"They cannot wait. They're already growing old. For them (LGBT couples), time is not a luxury they can afford to spend waiting for Congress to pass a bill allowing civil unions," he told ANC Wednesday.

"I'd like to emphasize that I am more privileged than other LGBT individuals. I have the time, luxury, and maybe the relative political power to wait because my family accepts me," he added.

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Falcis on Tuesday defended before the high court his petition which sought to declare parts of the Family Code unconstitutional, saying these violate homosexuals' right "to found a family" as protected under the 1987 Constitution.

• Top court told: 'We are simply asking for the freedom to love'

The landmark case opens legal discussion on what is considered taboo in Asia's bastion of Catholicism and coincides with the LGBT community's celebration of Pride Month.

Asked to comment on Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza's statement that he is "inclined" to dismiss Falcis plea, the young lawyer said he is willing to accept the decision of the Supreme Court.

• Jardeleza says 'inclined' to dismiss same-sex marriage plea

He, however, noted that a dismissal of the plea would not stop him from advocating for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country.

"It doesn't mean that we will stop advocating for equal rights," Falcis said.