Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook.PPAB)

Transgender congresswoman Bataan 1st district Rep. Geraldine Roman says she was surprised and disappointed by Vice President Sara Duterte's supposed homophobic statement to a police officer. 

"We should not equate being gay or being trans or being lesbian with being weak," Roman said in a chance interview on Monday, Dec. 2. 

"I think it’s quite surprising and disappointing the remarks knowing that the Vice President is sa declared supporter of the LGBTQ (lesbian, transgender, bisexual, gay, queer) community," added the majority solon. 

"I did not expect that kind of remark [from] her," added the Roman, chairperson of the House Committee on Women and General Equality. 

Roman was referring to a viral video of Vice President Duterte telling a police officer not to be gay. 

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This took place last week as authorities sought to transfer Duterte’s chief-of-staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, from the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) to St. Luke’s Medical Center, both in Quezon City. 

At that time, Lopez was under the custody of the House of Representatives due to her contempt citation by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability. The panel has been looking into the alleged misuse of P612.5-million confidential funds under Duterte. 

Roman is the first ever transgender to be elected to a seat in Philippine Congress.