Presidential aspirant and Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso assured that member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) community will be part of his government if elected president.
During a virtual meeting with the Filipino-American community based in San Francisco, Domagoso vowed not only to recognize the LGBTQI community, but also to make them a part of his governance.
“I have no prejudice with people. As long as you are an asset to the state, you have talents that can be utilized in governance through public service, you are welcome,” he said.
“Sa akin (for me), more than the recognition, is for them, these talents, to be utilized by us. And it’s a matter of policy, you’ve been seeing that in Manila,” Domagoso added.
The Manila mayor said one of the reasons why the skills and talents of the LGBTQI community have not been fully utilized in the past was due to the prejudice or “personal preference” of previous leaders.
“Personal preference or personal life has nothing to do with governance. Kaya umasa kayo na hindi lang kayo may puwang, meron kayong partisipasyon if, and if given the chance, kami ni Doc Willie (Ong) (So believe that you will not only have space, you will also have participation if, and if Doc Willie and I will be given the chance),” he said.
In October last year, Domagoso signed Ordinance No. 8695 or the Manila LGBTQI Protection Ordinance, which aims to eliminate "any and all forms of discrimination against LGBTQI solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE).”
“As long as you recognize their skills, their talents, then they excel in their field of undertaking. I have high respect for people, because love begets love; respect begets respect."