The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) urged to advocate the enactment of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression Equality Act (SOGIE) to protect people from different types of discrimination in private and public institutions. In a statement, PCW acknowledged that the lack of a protective legal mechanism for individuals of diverse SOGIE makes them vulnerable. This makes those individuals subject to discriminatory behaviors that prevent them from fully participating in jobs, school, and training and limit their access to basic services. "Discrimination experienced by persons of diverse SOGIE include stereotyping and more extreme forms of stigma such as unfair treatment and outright rejection," PCW said. It added that persons of diverse SOGIE suffer from "harassment and assault," whose effects range from psychological trauma to physical injuries and even death. In the absence of disaggregated data on cases, anecdotal evidence from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities indicates that victims of these offenses face challenges in obtaining redress due to the discriminatory attitudes of some service providers. "It has been more than two decades after the first anti-discrimination bill was filed in Congress, and there is still a lack of national policy that prohibits these discriminatory practices, leaving persons of diverse SOGIE with no recourse for redress." "This results in continued violations of their human rights by other individuals and public and private institutions," it added.
Although the 1987 Philippine Constitution protects the right of every individual to equal protection of the laws, PWC believes that without difference or discrimination, laws safeguarding human rights are not uniformly implemented, especially for persons with diverse SOGI. In pursuit of gender equality in the Philippines, the organization recognizes that the enactment of this law is regarded as necessary for the ending of all forms of discrimination based on gender and the promotion of gender equality. Moreover, in accordance with the Philippine Constitution, which requires the state to secure the equal protection of all individuals before the law, the PCW supports enacting anti-discrimination legislation to ensure that all people's human rights, regardless of their SOGI, are protected and promoted.*(Rhowen Del Rosario)*