Nineteen (19) senators have signed the committee report endorsing the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Equality Bill which mandates the government to address all forms of discrimination and violence on the basis of SOGIESC.
“I am ecstatic that 19 of us colleagues in the Senate have come together to support the SOGIESC Bill,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“Sa isang araw lang, nahikayat natin sila na pumirma sa committee report. Mas lalo akong nabuhayan ng loob na sa Kongresong ito, maipapasa na sa wakas ang SOGIE bill (In just one day, we persuaded them to sign the committee report. I am even more encouraged that in this Congress, the SOGIE bill will finally be passed),” the senator further said.
Senators who signed the Committee Report No 15 were Hontiveros, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Senators Sonny Angara, Imee R. Marcos, Cynthia Villar, Nancy Binay, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Grace Poe, Mark Villar, Francis Tolentino, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Robinhood “Robin” Padilla, Raffy Tulfo, Jinggoy Estrada, Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Loren Legarda, Christopher “Bong” Go, and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
Hontiveros, chairman of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, said she is grateful for her colleagues’ strong and immediate support to move the bill forward, though some of them signed with reservations or stated that they will interpellate.
“The swiftness with which the committee report was signed and filed is surely a sign of good things to come,” she said.
“Umaasa ako na tuloy-tuloy na ang pag-usad ng bill na ito para ipakita at iparamdam na tunay na kasangga ng LGBTQIA+ community ang ating Senado (I hope that the progress of this bill will continue to show and make it feel like our Senate is a real supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community),” Hontiveros said.
The bill, originally the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) only gained eight (8) signatures of senators during the 18th Congress. Hontiveros re-filed the measure this 19th Congress and expanded the provisions of the original version of the bill.
Under the SOGIESC Equality bill, discriminatory practices on the basis of SOGIESC, such as refusing admission to or expelling a person from any educational or training institution, imposing disciplinary sanctions harsher than customary that infringe on the rights of students, and refusing or revoking accreditation of organizations, groups, political parties, or institutions, among others would be strongly prohibited.
Violators of the proposed law may face a fine of not less than P100,000, but not more than P250,000 or imprisonment of not less than one year, but not more than six (6) years.
The measure penalizes persons who would deny any individual access to emergency and/or necessary health services on the basis of a person’s SOGIESC.
“Isa sa pinakamahalagang ginagawa ng SOGIESC bill ay pagsigurado na ang bawat Pilipino, kahit anuman ang kasarian, ay makakatanggap ng karampatang serbisyong-medikal kapag kinakailangan (One of the most important things that the SOGIESC bill does is to ensure that every Filipino, regardless of gender, can receive competent medical services when needed),” she said.
“Nakapanlulumo ang mga kwento ng mga miyembro ng LGBTQIA na pinagkakaitan ng medical services dahil lang sa kanilang kasarian (The stories of LGBTQIA members who are denied medical services simply because of their gender are heartbreaking). This is flat out discrimination,” the senator further said.
She also said those who refuse to provide medical and health services due to a person’s SOGIESC can also be penalized with a fine of not less than P100,000, but not more than P300,000, or imprisonment of not less than six months, but not more than two years and four months.
The SOGIESC Bill also explicitly provides that nothing in the law should be interpreted to disturb the exercise of parental authority or academic freedom.
“The SOGIESC Bill’s message is clear: our country should not tolerate any act of discrimination,” she said.
“It’s already 2022, and our laws should reflect the realities of our culture,” Hontiveros stressed.