Anak Mindanao (AMIN) party-list Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan urged the House Committee on Rules to immediately calendar for plenary discussion a measure seeking to declare the first day of February of every year as National Hijab Day.
The vice chairperson of the House Committee on Muslim Affairs cited that the House Committee on Muslim Affairs has already endorsed the plenary approval of House Bill No. 8249, which aims to promote an understanding of the Muslim tradition of wearing a hijab.
“I am urging the House Committee on Rules to calendar the bill for plenary discussion when Congress resumes session on Jan. 18.We've been waiting for the passage of the National Hijab Day,” she said in a Viber message.
"The same bill was approved in the House of Representatives on third and final reading last Congress. I am hoping this time, it passes into law,” she added.
Under Committee Report No. 693, the House Committee on Muslim Affairs, chaired by Lanao del Sur Rep. Ansaruddin Abdul Malik Adiong, recommended the approval of HB No. 8249, which substituted Sangcopan’s HB 1582.
Sangcopan said the wearing of hijab is every Muslim woman’s right. “It is not just a piece of cloth but it is said to be their way of life.”
Hijab is defined as a veil that covers the head and chest. It is particularly worn by a Muslim female beyond the age of puberty in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family.
Hijab may further refer to any head, face, or body covering worn by Muslim women that conform to a certain standard of modesty, the bill provides.
“It is our aim to raise awareness and to put a stop to all sorts of discriminations, including discrimination against Muslim women. We hope to foster deeper respect and understanding among and between Filipinos of varying cultures and faith toward national unity and peace,” Sangcopan said.
HB 8249 declares first day of February of every year as National Hijab Day to encourage Muslim and non-Muslim women to wear the hijab and experience the virtue of wearing it, and to remove the misconception of wearing the hijab that has been misunderstood as a symbol of oppression, terrorism, and lack of freedom.
Sangcopan said the measure also seeks to stop discrimination against Muslim hijabis and to promote and deepen understanding amongst non-Muslims about the value of wearing hijab as an act of modesty and dignity to Muslim women.
She said the observance of National Hijab Day shall showcase hijabis’ rights.
Under HB 8249, Muslim and non-Muslim women alike are encouraged to don the hijab on the first day of February.
“Government institutions, schools, and private sector shall be encouraged to observe the event in a manner that promotes understanding and awareness among its employees and students as to the objective of the campaign,” the bill provides.
The bill mandates the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) to serve as the lead agency that would promote and raise consciousness about the practice of wearing a hijab.